Virginia Tech Football: 3 players the Hokies would love to have back

Some decisions have been made by some Virginia Tech football players on who is not coming back and who is returning to the Hokies.

Quarterback Kyron Drones announced recently that he’s going to return to Blacksburg in 2024, while Derrick Canteen, Johnny Dickson, Ja’Wain Felton, and Bryce Duke are some of the players who have announced they are entering the transfer portal.

Some players have not made up their decisions on where they are going to be playing in 2024 and here are three players that the Hokies would love to have back next season as they attempt to take the next step in their rebuild.

Ali Jennings

One of the transfer wide receivers that came to Virginia Tech last offseason, Jennings was hoping to be a big part of the Hokies offense this season. Things started well in the season opener against his former school Old Dominion.

He had five receptions for 72 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Monarchs. In his two previous seasons at Old Dominion, he had almost 2,000 receiving yards and was expected to make a big impact for head coach Brent Pry.

In a 24-17 Week 2 loss at home to Purdue, he was injured with an ankle injury and he hasn’t been on the field since. Recently Pry said that he’s not ruling him out of the Military Bowl, but it’s unlikely he’ll play. He is eligible to apply for a medical redshirt season and it hasn’t been decided on what he’ll do, but if he returns next season for Drones, he’ll be a very big piece of the offense.

Dorian Strong

Recently, Dorian Strong’s father issued a challenge to Virginia Tech fans that if they wanted his son, Dorian, back in the secondary next season, to let him know it. They did.

However, Strong said recently that he’s mulling his decision on what he’s going to do for next season, and declaring for the NFL Draft is not out of the question. He made the All-ACC third team, which is rather silly considering his numbers this season and teams avoided throwing his way as the season went along.

Against Boston College, Eagles quarterback Thomas Castellanos tried throwing in his direction and it backfired. Strong picked off the first pass of the game which led to a Hokies field goal, then later in the first quarter, Strong picked off Castellanos again and Virginia Tech’s offense turned it into a touchdown in a 48-22 Hokies win on the road.

With Cantten announcing he’s entering the transfer portal following the bowl game, Virginia Tech’s defense would get a big boost if Strong returned in 2024.

Bhayshul Tuten

This one goes without saying. Like Strong, running back Bhayshul Tuten has yet to decide on what 2024 holds for him, but with Duke in the transfer portal, having Tuten return would be a huge lift for the Hokies’ offense.

Things didn’t start well for the North Carolina A&T transfer this season, but once offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen and Pry started to commit to the run once ACC play began, the rest as they say is history.

Tuten’s numbers were good with 727 rushing yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 4.7 yards a carry. He also had two kickoff returns for touchdowns against Florida State and Virginia. He had three touchdowns against Boston College and seven of his eight touchdowns happened once ACC play began.

Early indications in the transfer portal are that the Hokies are going to be looking to add offensive linemen and getting some big boys up front would be huge for Drones and the running game. If Tuten returns, there is no reason why he can’t come close to being a 1,000-yard rusher next season.