Grading transfer portal activity for Virginia Tech football coach Brent Pry

Just like over the winter, the spring transfer portal was a huge success for Virginia Tech football coach Brent Pry. Yes, there were needs, however, with a large amount of retainment over the winter and losing just depth pieces in the spring, he needed only to add a few players to get to the 85 scholarship maximum.

Backup quarterback Dylan Wittke entered the portal just three days after the Hokies’ Spring Game when Pry announced after it that Pop Watson had emerged as the backup to Kyron Drones after spring practices. He committed to Minnesota for the 2024 season, but Pry was able to fill that open spot with a veteran from UCLA in Maryland native Collin Schlee.

There were other additions as well and with Virginia Tech done with the portal, it’s time to grade just how successful it was for Pry.

2024 Spring transfer portal grade

As mentioned above, Schlee committed to Virginia Tech in late April, filling a huge hole. He will be in a camp battle with Watson to be Drones backup and that will be one of the better battles to keep an eye on over the summer. We saw last season how important the QB2 spot is when Grant Wells went down with an injury in Week 2 against Purdue and Drones took over.

In the winter portal, Pry added defensive linemen Aeneas Peebles from Duke, Kelvin Gilliam from Oklahoma, and Kemari Copeland from Iowa Western Community College with returners Antwaun Powell-Ryland and Josh Fuga. That didn’t stop Pry from making that group deeper for coordinator Chris Marve by getting a commitment from Alabama transfer Khurtiss Perry to solidify the line with talent and depth.

Then last Saturday night, Miami transfer Kaleb Spencer, a linebacker/defensive back who played mostly special teams for the Hurricanes last season, committed to Virginia Tech and he gives Marve a ton of flexibility in the secondary with some of the talented returners and younger players. Just how he fits in remains to be seen, but he has three years of eligibility remaining entering the 2024 campaign.

Overall, it was another successful transfer portal for Pry as he got a large amount of retainment and added some very key depth pieces. Montavious Cunningham along the offensive line and Sam Brumfield at linebacker committed over the winter will be key contributors as well. Overall, it was another very good portal season for Pry, despite what some people think.

Grade: B+