Virginia Tech Football: Hokies Wide Receiver Receives Big Prediction to Have A Breakout Season
College Football is officially back this week and week zero is being headlines by a huge ACC matchup between Georgia Tech and Florida State. While that is going to be the game to watch this weekend, Virginia Tech does not get its seaon started until next week when they travel to Vanderbilt. The Hokies are big favorites in that game and hope to be 1-0 after the week is over.
Virginia Tech is a team that is getting a lot of love ahead of this season and there a number of reasons why. The Hokies have a ton of returning production, including a dynamic rushing attack led by a dual-threat quarterback, a very good defensive line and pass rush, and perhaps the best cornerback duo in the ACC. One thing about the Hokies that is getting underdiscussed is how talented their wide reciever room is and ESPN's Adam Rittenberg had Virginia Tech wide receiver Ayden Greene as a potential breakout star for the 2024 season:
"The Hokies return top two receivers Jaylin Lane and Da'Quan Felton, as well as versatile running back Bhayshul Tuten (27 receptions in 2023), but Greene is pegged to take on a much bigger role in the passing game. Green had only one game with multiple receptions in 2023 but stood out in spring ball. He will give quarterback Kyron Drones another capable target as Virginia Tech tries to boost a passing offense that ranked 95th nationally in 2023.
Coach's take: "As talented as that [wide receivers] room is, if you had ranked the guys coming out of spring, he would have gotten a lot of first-place votes," Hokies coach Brent Pry told ESPN. "He does everything very, very well. He's not just a guy that can run, he's not just a guy that has ball skills, he's not just a guy that runs good routes, he's not just a guy that works. He does it all. When he's healthy, he's arguably the most talented guy in the room."
Pry had this to say about his wide receiver group at ACC Media Days:
"I'll say this: I think we've done very well, but it also wasn't in a very good place, so there was nowhere to go but up. I think Coach Mind and the offensive staff put an emphasis there. We needed to improve dramatically and were able to make great strides, maybe a little better than I thought. We've been able to do it through high school recruiting, the transfer portal, and development—all three phases. I don't know that you normally get all that. We've hit where we needed to hit in that room. We've been able to retain coaches and added Cam Phillips and Gunner Brewer. The stars are aligning for a pretty good group."
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