Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 73-3vs VMI | 6 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Total | 6 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#41
George Ballance
Junior linebacker for Virginia Tech. 2026: 1 game with a box-score line.
5′11″ · 233 lb · Virginia Beach, VA · Frank W. Cox
Returning to Virginia Tech for 2026
The numbers
6
tackles · 2026
1 TFL
1 game into 2026 so far -- Best game: 6 tackles, 1 TFL, vs VMI
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 linebacker for Virginia Tech. 2026: 1 game with a box-score line.
His career, year by yearGeorge Ballance
Four seasons at Virginia Tech, two different head coaches: Brent Pry and James Franklin. The receipt: 6 tackles, 1 TFL against VMI — Week 1, 2026.
6 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- head-coach lineage
- game log
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
Virginia Tech
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coaches2023–2025
Virginia Tech
Coaching transition mid-career: Brent Pry → James Franklin. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023Virginia Tech7-6HC: Brent Pry · Run-leaning
2024Virginia Tech6-7HC: Brent Pry · Run-leaning
2025Virginia Tech3-9HC: Brent Pry · Run-leaning
2026Virginia Tech2-0HC: James Franklin · Balanced, fast tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: qb hurries (83rd percentile). Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 1 game: 6.0 TKL/g, 1.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
James Franklin
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Virginia Tech | 6 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Virginia Tech | 10 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Virginia Tech | 2 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Virginia Tech | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 19 | 10 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 73–3
vs VMI
6 TOT · 3 SOLO · 1 TFL
Dominant 70-point win at home against VMI.
With Q. Brown — 6 rec · 109 yds · 1 TD · E. Grunkemeyer — 224 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · 6 rush yds (2 car)
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
Virginia Tech
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Linebacker · Virginia Tech
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: +2 net (29 in / 27 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Virginia Tech · Last season: 3-9 · Talent rank #27 · 2026 recruiting class #30
The linebacker corps · Virginia Tech
- #3Kaleb Spencer67 tackles · 2025
- #16Noah Chambers43 tackles · 2025
- #33Keon Wylie28 tackles · 2025
- #30Curtis Jones Jr.22 tackles · 2025
- #41George Ballance10 tackles · 2025
5 more on the roster · Virginia Tech team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology