BLACKSBURG – With the 2024 football season fast approaching, the Hokies will no doubt have many eyes on one of their most intriguing positions: wide receiver. Highlighted by the return of familiar faces like Ali Jennings, Jaylin Lane, Stephen Gosnell And Da’Quan Felton, Tech’s wide receiver room has its sights set on success. Each week of Fall Camp, the Virginia Tech football team’s roster will be analyzed in the Position Preview series presented by Farm Bureau Insurance. In this Position Preview, we’ll take a look at the Hokies’ wide receiver squad as they look to capitalize on the return of their power under assistant head coach and wide receivers coach Fontel Mines.

One of the most exciting stories of the Bad Boyz is the return of Ali Jennings. Jennings, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury against Purdue last season, looks set to return to the Hokies’ offense with the quickness and speed that has brought him success in the past. The Hokies saw exactly what the Richmond, Virginia native can bring to the offense in their home opener against Old Dominion, when Jennings caught five passes for two touchdowns and 72 yards in a 36-17 victory.

Jennings has a skill set that has a ton of potential for the upcoming season. Tech is expecting a performance like his two years at Old Dominion, where the receiver was named to the All-Sun Belt First Team in 2022 with 54 passes caught for 959 yards and nine touchdowns. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound wide receiver had 1,066 yards the season before, the third-most in program history. If Jennings can repeat his 17.2 yards per catch from 2023, he will be a mainstay on offense.

Workhorses like Da’Quan Felton and Jaylin Lane also look to make their impact again this season alongside Stephen Gosnell and the rest of the team. Felton, Lane and Gosnell all return for the 2024 season as graduate students, allowing the trio’s experienced presence to shine on offense.

Felton, a native of Portsmouth, Virginia, found his home in the longball last season. The 6’5″, 215-pound receiver caught passes of 70, 62 and 54 yards against Boston College, Syracuse and Pittsburgh in 2023, showing his ability to stretch the field vertically. The wideout’s tremendous size and strength recently earned him recognition on Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List””, which recognizes athletes for their physical qualities. Feltons 667 Reception Yards were first on offense, with his most impressive performance being a two-touchdown, 133-yard affair against Virginia. Coming in second was Lane, a Clover, South Carolina native who scored six touchdowns in 12 games last season. The 5-foot-10 Lane posted a 102-yard game against conference foe Wake Forest last year, his strongest performance among his 538 receiving yards on the season. With Jennings absent last season, Lane took on a more involved role and will likely play a similar role in 2024. Gosnell posted 22 catches for 348 yards and three touchdowns in 2023. His work ethic and consistency were praised by the coaching staff throughout the summer.

Another receiver to keep an eye on is a sophomore. Ayden Greene. Greene, a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, played in 12 games during the 2023 season and matched his season-high as a pass receiver against Rutgers. The three-star recruit was recently named a Spring Practice Standout by 247Sports and has continued his strong performance in training camp. However, Greene will have to compete with other pass receivers in the room for a larger role.

The wide receiver room has received a lot of buzz in the preseason, not only because of its potential this season, but also because of who Mines and his staff have brought into the program. In a strong recruiting effort, Tech has added freshmen Keylen “Brodie” Adams And Chanz WigginsPlaymakers looking to contribute to an already explosive aerial game this fall.

Adams is a great signing for Mines and the Hokies. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound receiver amassed 4,400 receiving yards and 66 touchdowns in his four-year career at Green Run High School, setting a new school and Virginia state record. The Virginia Beach native was a three-time VHSL All-State receiver and was an integral part of Green Run’s 31-game winning streak against Beach District teams. His impressive performances in high school earned him the third-best Virginia recruit by On3 and Rivals and the fourth-best by ESPN. Adams chose Virginia Tech over names like Michigan, Ohio State and Alabama, and with his speed and agility, he has the potential to be a star.