The first season of the Brent Pry era has come to an end at 3-8 with Virginia Tech having a solid young corps of talent emerging headlined by Mansoor Delane, Keli Lawson, Dae'Quan Wright, and Tucker Holloway along with returning standouts like Kaleb Smith, Malachi Thomas, Dorian Strong, and Kaden Moore.
However, the Hokies have plenty of needs to address this offseason with the transfer portal likely to be a busy place for Tech. So with that said, here's my ranking of the top 5 transfer portal needs for VT heading into Thanksgiving.
1. Wide Receiver
Wide receiver is at #1 and I could have easily put center at the top of this list, but these feel like 1A and 1B. However, the tiebreaker for me is the fact that Virginia Tech's staff clearly sees wide receiver as a place where they need to add lots of talent.
That shouldn't come as a surprise as Tech had Kaleb Smith and not much else with Da'Wain Lofton playing somewhat better as the season progressed. Outside of those 2, there wasn't anyone who was consistently productive with Tucker Holloway, due to his punt returning ability, being the WR with the most hype on this current roster outside of those 2.
So far, we've seen Tech make clear that they are prioritizing a WR room talent infusion both with the number of talented HS wide receivers they are pursuing, and the offers they already have out in the transfer portal. Even with the FBS portal not open yet, Virginia Tech has already sent out 3 offers to FCS transfers in Texas A&M-Commerce's Andrew Armstrong, Norfolk State's Da'Quan Felton, and Duquesne's Abdul Janneh.
The fact is that Tech needs a much deeper receiving corps to support this passing game that lacked much in terms of receivers who could get separation and make plays. They could use multiple guys who can make instant impacts including guys to provide depth and at least 1, maybe 2 immediate starters.
Of course, there's no guarantee that Kaleb Smith takes his COVID year over pursuing NFL opportunities after a career year. Combine that with his great size and his very good speed that should help him test well and it definitely seems possible that Smith decides to pursue his pro opportunities. The good news is Tech should have an answer soon on that front given the deadlines out there.
Wide receiver seems poised to be a busy spot for the Hokies in the portal based on early movements we've seen from the Hokies.
2. Center
I nearly put center at #1, but the top two on this list are so close. However, the fact that the Hokies are aggressively pursuing high school and transfer portal WR talent pushed wide receiver to the top of this list over center.
However, center looks like a clear need in my book for the Hokies with Johnny Jordan graduating leaving Tech with unproven options in Jack Hollifield and Johnny Dickson.
Yes, every center is technically "unproven" before they get a chance and Hollifield has been in Virginia Tech's program for a couple of years which is a plus even with the change of coaching staffs.
Despite that, Hollifield has not gotten on the field to date for the Hokies working at center in a live game. He didn't even get in against a team like Wofford to get some sort of experience which is less than ideal to say the least. Meanwhile, Johnny Dickson still remains years away from being in a position to start for the Hokies.
So with all that in mind, Tech should absolutely be looking at taking a veteran center in the portal who can give more time for Hollifield and Dickson to continue to develop while also giving space for those guys to get some playing time against weaker competition in low-pressure, garbage time situations.
Of course, Joe Rudolph is known for being methodical as well and definitely has those he trusts and those he doesn't so we'll find out over the next couple weeks where he stands based on offers sent out or a lack of offers.
3. Offensive Tackle
Offensive tackle has slid down this list slightly due to the fact that Parker Clements seemed to play better as the season progressed and the promise that Xavier Chaplin brings to the table at tackle.
However, this is a position that absolutely could use a plug-and-play veteran next season to pair with Clements or Chaplin given the lack of experience Chaplin has and the concerning combination of regression and inconsistency for Clements this season.
Now this is a spot where I think Tech should look at a grad transfer given the youth of guys like Clements, Chaplin, Johnny Garrett, and the incoming class including Layth Ghannam. Of course, Tech shouldn't be closed off to pursuing younger offensive tackle to provide even more depth at a spot that definitely could use more depth in general even with the large influx of younger offensive tackles into the program.
So far, Tech hasn't been exactly eager to pursue much in terms of the current FCS offensive tackles in the transfer portal though Joe Rudolph's patience in offering players has been well publicized including in our discussion of the needs at center. Combine that with the FBS portal still not open yet and this seems like a spot to continue to be patient with.
Tech's offensive line struggles have exposed multiple transfer portal needs for the Hokies along that position group including at tackle where finding an experienced, plug-and-play guy would be quite valuable.
4. Quarterback
Yes, quarterback makes the list but you are probably surprised to see it at #4 and not #1 or even in the top 3 on this list.
To be clear, I think the gaps between the top 4 spots on this list are not that big but QB comes in at #4 for a few reasons specifically about Grant Wells. The fact is that Wells has loads of arm talent with plus arm strength that is not easy to find while he was also in his first year at VT in a new offense and showed signs of growth throughout the season. He also has shown more mobility than he was thought to have prior to his time at VT and while he isn't a dual-threat, he has the type of mobility you want from a modern pocket passer.
However, Wells has some questions with his accuracy in part lacking touch on his passes especially as he threw plenty of bullets that should have been the changeup he seemed to lack. Additionally, Wells showed some questionable decision-making while his play down the stretch of the season seemed to not build on some of the growth he had shown at times during the middle of the season.
This is a spot where I would lean for a younger quarterback who could come in and compete, but also be a backup to push Wells in a worst case scenario. Jason Brown is pursuing another year, but purely my own speculative evaluation makes me not confident that Brown will get that year. Meanwhile, you have to wonder if Tahj Bullock's future is as a QB for the Hokies given that he's behind a QB with more eligibility remaining in Devin Farrell.
So if you don't have Brown and Bullock next season, you are in a position to only have 3 scholarship quarterbacks with one being an incoming freshman in Dylan Wittke. That's a situation that requires bringing in a quarterback through the portal regardless of your thoughts on the upside of Grant Wells.
5. Mike Linebacker
A defensive position finally makes the board and I went back and forth between defensive end and mike linebacker given that both spots lose major starters in TyJuan Garbutt and Dax Hollifield. However, Tech's situation at mike linebacker has more questions and lower ceilings compared to DE where you have young, promising players like Cole Nelson and CJ McCray who got loads of experience and showed flashes plus Pheldarius Payne who is a wild card.
Meanwhile, mike linebacker has plenty of questions starting with usual backup Keshon Artis who seemed like the future yet struggled to hold on to his backup job this season. Artis could be a solid option and it would be cool to see him rewarded for his patience, but can he be an ACC level starting MLB? We haven't seen a lot to have too much inherent confidence.
Will Johnson briefly broke into the two-deep at the mike before dropping back down the depth chart and still seems like he's not ready to be the guy for the Hokies at mike linebacker just yet.
The wild card here is Alan Tisdale who Tech worked at the mike LB spot during fall camp especially as Jaden Keller seemed to take control of the will LB spot prior to the start of this season. The emergence of Keli Lawson combined with Keonta Jenkins playing well at the sam seems to mean that both outside linebacker spots are locked down with rising young talent that could use a veteran like Tisdale to lead the unit.
Tisdale definitely the more modern coverage linebacker that would definitely help in some areas for the Hokies while he has shown growth as a run defender. However, he still has some questions about his run defending and it's easier said than done to move from an OLB spot to the mike linebacker.
Tisdale is why I nearly went with defensive end and also why this is a spot where you will likely see some volatility as the transfer portal gets going fully next week.
