Middle Tennessee WR Transfer Jaylin Lane Commits to Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech's WR room overhaul continued this evening as the Hokies landed a commitment from Middle Tennessee State WR transfer Jaylin Lane.

Lane is the third WR transfer and fourth overall transfer to commit to the Hokies joining Old Dominion WR Ali Jennings, Norfolk State WR Da'Quan Felton, and Baylor QB Kyron Drones.

Lane has grown into larger and larger roles during his time at MTSU having his best year as a receiver this past season with 69 catches for 940 yards and 5 touchdowns on his way to earning All-Conference USA Honorable Mention honors as a wide receiver. He also played well against strong competition with 4 catches for 130 yards against Miami, 10 catches for 179 yards against UTSA, 9 catches for 59 yards and a TD against UAB, and 10 catches for 111 yards and a TD in the Hawaii Bowl vs San Diego State.

Lane is also a standout returner who was a Freshman All-American in 2021 as a punt returner and an All-Conference USA 2nd Team punt returner this past season. Over his three seasons at MTSU, Lane had 38 punt returns for 457 yards and a TD with an average of 12 yards per return plus 37 kick returns for 813 yards with an average of 22 yards per return.

Tech's ability to land him fairly soon after entering the portal shows how impressed they are with his talent though Lane did receive interest from the Hokies during his recruitment but not an offer. However, that familiarity with Virginia Tech even under a different staff likely helped some.

This is a fascinating addition for the Hokies but despite his size at 5'8'' and 183 pounds, he's proven to be a very productive slot receiver at MTSU with his performances against quality opposition being a great sign that his talent can translate to VT. It seems like a safe bet that we'll see a competition in the slot between Lane and Da'Wain Lofton though Lofton could also slide outside as well if Lane had the edge on the inside.

It'll also be interesting to see how much Lane factors in as a return man especially given the promise that Tucker Holloway showed returning punts. Special teams coordinator Stu Holt has also stated a preference towards running backs on kick returns though Lane has proven to be a solid kick returner at MTSU.

Tech adding their third wide receiver transfer seems to make it clear that a massive WR overhaul is coming in Blacksburg with it being probably a safe bet that we'll see at least 2-3 current scholarship WR enter the portal by the end of the spring transfer window.