With the spring transfer portal having opened on Monday, four Hokies have already announced their plans to leave Virginia Tech. These players are offensive lineman Gabriel Arena, quarterback Dylan Wittke, running back Tralon Mitchell, and safety Antonio Cotman Jr.
All four of these players are from the Class of 2023 and redshirt this past season. They each have four years of eligibility remaining at their next school.
Perhaps the biggest headline of the transfers is Dylan Wittke, as he and Pop Watson were reportedly in a competitive battle for backup quarterback behind star Kyron Drones. However, Pop Watson was the favorite to take the backup position with both Brent Pry and Tyler Bowen sharing after the Spring Game that Watson had the current edge for the backup QB job.
Outside of Wittke, the other three players who chose to transfer did not enter the Spring Game till the second half and seemed to be buried on the depth chart behind guys of the same year or younger. Cotman may be the name that sticks out the most of the other as a former borderline four-star recruit who was a late flip from Boston College to the Hokies. The Richmond native was simply never able to find a home, bouncing back and forth between STAR LB and safety yet never being able to climb up the depth chart.
Tralon Mitchell and Gabriel Arena were both more under-the-radar recruits ho simply weren't able to gain any traction on the depth chart.
These departures do not affect what the Hokies have for their 2024 team, but it does put the Hokies at 83 scholarships, two under the 85 maximum. That gives Brent Pry and staff some room to work with as they look to fill gaps elsewhere in the transfer portal.
