Virginia Tech Center Patrick Wessler Enters The Transfer Portal, Becoming The Third Hokie to Enter the Portal
It has been a busy day for transfer portal entries for Virginia Tech Basketball. Earlier today, guards Rodney Brown Jr and Jaydon Young entered the transfer portal and now, center Patrick Wessler has announced he is going to be entering the transfer portal. Wessler played in 31 games this season for Virginia Tech, averaging 3.9 PPG and 2.9 RPG in an average of 11 minutes per game.
I would like to announce that I will be entering the transfer portal. Thank you to Virginia Tech for giving me a home these last 3 years. I look forward to receiving my BS in Business Marketing this May. With 2 years remaining, I am excited for the next chapter in my career.
— Patrick D. Wessler (@BigPatWessler) March 17, 2025
Young was Virginia Tech's third-leading scorer this past season, averaging 8.1 PPG in 22 minutes per game. Young started 10 games this year and played in 32 of them.
There was expected to be some portal movement for Virginia Tech and there could be more. Young had some big moments this season, scoring 26 points in a win over Syracuse and 27 points in a win over Miami. They were the only games in which he scored more than 14 points.
Brown Jr decided to enter the portal after spending one year with the program after transferring in from Cal. Brown played in 18 games this season, averaging 15.2 minutes per game and 4.1 PPG. During his lone season with the Golden Bears in 2023-2024, Brown played in 32 games, averaging 3.5 PPG in 14 minutes per game.
This is going to be a big offseason for head coach Mike Young and his program. After the ACC Tournament loss to Cal, Young talked about how the big thing that was missing from this year's team was talent and how it had to get fixed quickly:
"A lot was missing. A lot was missing, just call it what it is. They are great kids and a pleasure to work with. We have to get more talented and we are going to quick, all right?"
There is no denying that this was not one of the more talented teams in the ACC and some credit should be given to Young for still being able to get this team to finish 10th in the ACC, ahead of where they were projected to be at the start of the season.
There has been criticism of the NIL resources that Virginia Tech has given Young to run the program, and while it is good that there seems to be a plan to increase those resources, it would be wise to wait and see what happens. This was arguably Young's least-talented team that he has had, but he has found a way to get the most out of them. This is going to be a critical offseason for this program when it comes to building a roster that is able to compete in the ACC. While Duke is the top program and both Clemson and Louisville appear to be here to stay, there is room to move up and move up quickly in the ACC if the roster is built right and more talent is brought into Blacksburg.
Related Links
Virginia Tech Guard Jaydon Young Becomes Second Hokie To Enter The Transfer Portal
Virginia Tech Guard Rodney Brown Jr Has Entered The Transfer Portal
Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell