In this day and age of college sports, a lot of the rosters from year-to-year are dependent on the Transfer Portal. That's just the current college sports landscape that all coaches, in all sports, have to deal with. When it comes to football, there is no match for the amount of movement that goes on with the portal. It happens every year.
Virginia Tech has been a school that has relied on the portal, and they had some success under Brent Pry with adding talent through the portal. Given their struggles in recruiting, it was necessary to get talent through the portal. With that said, here are the five best portal additions of the Pry era.
5 best Virginia Tech football transfer portal additions under former coach Brent Pry
Antwaun Powell-Ryland
Arguably the best Pry pickup through the portal was defensive lineman Antwaun Powell-Ryland. After three years with Florida in the SEC, the Virginia native came to the Hokies for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, and what an impact he made. In those two years, he played in 25 games, made 83 tackles, and had 25.5 sacks. He registered 16 sacks in his final season in 2024, which was a season for the ages and put him in the same conversation with some of the Virginia Tech greats. Powell-Ryland made a huge impact for the Hokies.
Bhayshul Tuten
There was no more electric running back during Pry's tenure than Bhayshul Tuten, who came to the Hokies from North Carolina A&T. In two seasons in Blacksburg, Tuten rushed for 2,022 yards on 356 carries and 25 touchdowns. Once he got through the line of scrimmage and into the opponent's secondary, he was a player who was very tough to bring down. He also had 50 catches for 320 yards and four touchdowns out of the backfield. However, the Hokies could get the ball in his hands; they tried. He even had a kick return for a touchdown at Florida State in 2023.
Kyron Drones
When starter Grant Wells went down with an injury in the second game of the 2023 season against Purdue, Pry handed the keys to Baylor transfer Kyron Drones, and he was a staple under center for the Hokies for three seasons. It was a rocky tenure for Drones, but he was someone who never shyed away from a challenge.
A dual-threat QB, Drones threw for 5,566 yards and 44 touchdowns with 18 interceptions. He rushed for 1,798 yards and 20 touchdowns, which allowed Virginia Tech to mix things up. Did he have his moments that he wished he had back? Yes, but he stabilized the quarterback position for the Hokies the last three seasons.
Stephen Gosnell
An underrated addition from the portal was wide receiver Stephen Gosnell, who came to Blacksburg from North Carolina. In three seasons at Virginia Tech, he had 988 receiving yards on 60 catches and four touchdowns. However, beyond the numbers, he made some big catches in key situations for the Hokies and was a reliable downfield blocker. His value was somewhat underrated during his time with the Hokies, but he was someone you could count on to go across the middle to make a catch and take a hit.
Jaylin Lane
After three seasons at Middle Tennessee State, wide receiver Jaylin Lane came to Virginia Tech and had two good seasons that led to him being drafted by the Washington Commanders in the 2025 NFL Draft. In two seasons with the Hokies, the 5-foot-8 Lane finished with 1.004 yards receiving and eight touchdowns, while he had 167 rushing yards with two more touchdowns. He was a player who when he was in the open field with the ball, his seperation speed was impressive. He returned punts in the 2024 season and had an electric return for a touchdown against Marshall. He had 276 yards returning kicks in Blacksburg, which is what he's doing for the Commanders in the NFL now.
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