Stanford Announces Captains for Virginia Tech Game

Stanford football is back from a bye week and ready to roll for a chance to get back into the win column. The Cardinal hit the road to face Virginia Tech and are in for another tough test, facing a Hokies program that has exceeded expectations in year one of the James Franklin era.

Stanford revealed its three captains for the game, choosing defensive lineman Braden Marceau-Olayinka, tight end Chico Holt and WR/special teamer Tyler Kuo. All three are first-time captains and will be on the field for the coin toss.

Marceau-Olayinka, a senior from Melrose, Massachusetts, has 14 total tackles so far this season and is looking for his first career sack. A depth player his first two seasons on The Farm, he has taken on a bigger role in recent seasons. His veteran presence has been crucial for the defense this season. 

A former three-star prospect, he received over 20 offers including from schools such as Boston College, U-Mass, Columbia, Harvard and Yale. He opted to play at Stanford because it offered both a world-class education and the opportunity to play Power Four college football.

Holt is in his fourth season with the program, recording his first career stat on offense in the 2025 season. After appearing on special teams as a true freshman in 2023 and missing all of 2024 with an injury, he caught one pass for 36 yards last season while continuing to contribute on special teams. This season, he has six catches for 47 yards and played his best game against Elon, where he caught three passes for 25 yards.

Holt spent his high school career at Strake Jesuit High School in Houston, Texas, and was a team captain his senior year. A three-star recruit, he received 22 offers from schools such as Northwestern, Cal, Duke, Michigan and Stanford. Northwestern was considered the favorite for his services at one point, but he took his talents to the Bay Area instead.

Kuo is another player in his fourth season with the program who took time to become the player he is today. He did not appear in any games during his first two seasons before appearing in six games on special teams last year. He does not have a single career catch, instead recording his first stats this season on the defensive side of the ball. He has five total tackles in nine games this season.

He played high school football at Regents School in Austin, Texas, registering 63 catches for 1,149 yards and 21 touchdowns over the course of his career. Kuo was not heavily recruited, receiving only an offer from Johns Hopkins. He joined Stanford as a preferred walk-on.

Stanford enters a pivotal part of its season, sitting at 4-5 and needing to win at least two out of its final three games in order to be a shoo-in for a bowl game. A win this week gets the team one step closer to that goal and would be its highest win total in a season since 2018.