Virginia Tech has a lot of bodies at the wide receiver position, but only two players on the roster have double-digit receptions during their college careers. Of those two, one has made all of his catches at another school and is in the process of adjusting to Power 5 football and a new offense this spring.

[Note: After publication of this article, Jaden Payoute announced that he was retiring from football due to multiple injuries.]

Player	Year	Catches	Yards	YPC	TD
Jadan Blue	r-Sr.	169	1,672	9.9	10
Kaleb Smith	r-Jr.	37	469	12.7	4
Da'Wain Lofton	So.	7	98	14.0	1
Stephen Gosnell	So.	2	11	5.5	0
Jaylen Jones	So.	1	15	15.0	0

That’s 11 scholarship players on the roster for the spring, in addition to eight walk-ons, so lots of guys have been getting looks. Xayvion Bradshaw is also expected to enroll this summer, but this analysis will stick to the guys who are already in school.

Last season I expected Da’Wain Lofton and Jaylen Jones to catch more passes. Lofton came on a bit at the end of the year, but before the campaign began, I thought both would hit 10+ receptions for the year. That didn’t happen, but I think that was more because of the actual passing game at Virginia Tech, plus injuries at the quarterback position, rather than their actual abilities. I still have confidence that both guys will develop into good players for the Hokies.

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