Alec Bryant and Robert Wooten Enter Transfer Portal

By: David Cunningham | Managing Editor
Alec Bryant Robert Wooten
Alec Bryant and Robert Wooten, shown here with Beau Davidson. (Beau Davidson)

Virginia Tech sophomore defensive ends Alec Bryant and Robert Wooten both announced that they have entered the transfer portal on Monday afternoon.

The Texans released similar statements on Twitter, both which thanked Virginia Tech and said the decision was the best thing to do for their futures.

Wooten’s statement was almost identical to Bryant’s. “I want to thank VT. With a heavy heart, I have decided to enter the transfer portal. This has nothing to do with the coaches or the program. This is where I wanted to be. This was an issue that was out of their hands and mine. I accept responsibility and will move on to a different path. I look forward to seeing what my future holds.”

They are the second and third Hokie defensive ends to enter the transfer portal this offseason, joining Justin Beadles, who left in May and landed at Houston. With Bryant and Wooten leaving, all three defensive end signees from the Class of 2020 are no longer with the program.

Bryant and Wooten highlighted the class ranked dead last in the ACC and No. 76 in the NCAA, with Bryant being the only four-star in the 16-person class. While Wooten played in all 11 games in 2020, recording three tackles, Bryant did not see the field.

Their departures also mean that the top four players from Tech’s 2020 class have left. Tyree Saunders, a three-star wide receiver from Jacksonville, Fla., found a new home at East Carolina. He was the third-ranked player in the class while Beadles was the fourth.

Despite the class’s low ranking, the Hokies have found some gems in low-rated prospects. Keonta Jenkins and Dorian Strong, two low-rated three-star recruits, made an impact in Tech’s secondary last fall.

As far as depth goes, Justus Reed, Amare Barno and Jaylen Griffin received most of the reps at end last season. The former took his talents to the NFL while the latter two return in 2021. Barno had a strong 2020, but experience is limited otherwise.

Griffin, TyJuan Garbutt and Eli Adams can help fill the void, while the return of a healthy Emmanuel Belmar, who missed the second half of last season with an injury, would be a huge help. Tech also has some incoming freshmen that can make an impact on the line in Mattheus Carroll, Cole Nelson and Desmond Mamudi.

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  2. How the devil do you build a football program when the process starts and ends on a merry go round

  3. It looks to me that our four highest recruits weren’t that critical and that some of the lower rated guys like Dorian Strong are the heavy contributors. We’ve got some big DEs coming in and we really need to land Jennings. This is the usual explanation for transfers. Even if some guys are “pretty good,” if you think your recruiting is ticking up, it is probably better to have room for the guys with higher ceilings.

    It has been widely and (obviously) explained that there will be significant attrition. So this shouldn’t be the least bit surprising. Maybe the people who are confused by this can take a shot of whatever Captain Obvious has been drinking so they can figure out the obvious.

    Best of luck to those fellas at their new destination!

  5. Maybe we can do some “ portalling” to fill the Wooten void… not sure Bryant was going to be a factor

  6. So either Carroll or Nelson likely to not redshirt now I imagine. Really hope Belmar gets cleared. That’s now very key for the DE position

  7. Not surprised. Whatever their reason is, the chances of keeping players from so far away are not great. This is why I am glad that so many of our current recruits are from Virginia.

      1. Very confident statement, how do you know? Do you have inside knowledge? Being far away from home probably didn’t help.

    2. I hear you, it feels like these TX players don’t stick around as much as others.

  8. Wooten’s statement that this was an issue that was out of the coaches and programs hands. Does that infer that he may have been one of the two guys with Etute?

    1. No. It’s my understanding they have nothing to do with Etute. Their problem dates back to much earlier in the year.

  9. I’ve always believed if kids don’t want to be here. Find the next two up that do. I wish them the best in their lives but let’s move on.

    1. Didn’t you understand their statements and the inferences. They do want to be here but it’s out of their hands, unfortunately.

        1. Whatever behavior rule or law they broke or academic standard they failed took leaving out of their and the coaches span of authority.

          Pretty plain to discern imo.

          In other words they messed up and now r paying their dues.

          1. From what has been reported by guys like Andy Biter, it was not academic and other insiders have indicated this has nothing to do with Etute. There are lots of student conduct violations that don’t come with any sort of criminal charge but are serious. By process of elimination, it appears to be one of those.

            1. Except for the technicality that if it was a student conduct violation, then it wasn’t really “out of their hands”, right? /s

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