What a difference a year makes. After getting a ton of retainment last season, the Virginia Tech football team has seen an exodus to the transfer portal after this season. In the Hokies Military Bowl win over Tulane last December, head coach Brent Pry had a full roster of players suiting up against the Green Wave. That’s not the case Friday night in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against Minnesota.
When the Hokies take the field against the Gophers, they’ll be missing 14 of 22 starters from the regular season for various reasons. Last week when he met with the media, Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck called this pre-spring ball and he’s correct. Here is a running list of players who will not be in uniform on Friday night.
Virginia Tech players not playing in Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Compared to last season, this is a lengthy list for Pry and Virginia Tech, who will also be without some assistant coaches who were let go last month, including defensive coordinator Chris Marve.
Opt-Outs
Bhayshul Tuten - RB
Da’Quan Felton - WR
Jaylin Lane- WR
Kaden Moore - OG
Keonta Jenkins -LB
Aeneas Peebles - DT
Dorian Strong - CB
Transfer Portal
Xavier Chaplin - LT
Braelin Moore - C
Mansoor Delane - CB
Mose Phillips - S
Kelli Lawson - LB
Sam Brumfield - LB
Injured Players
Kyron Drones - QB
Jaylen Jones - S
As you can see, there are a number of big names on this list for Virginia Tech, which means a lot of backups and younger players will see a lot of time against Minnesota. This will be updated when news comes and is confirmed about other players landing in one of these categories.