What Is Virginia Tech Getting In Jaylin Lane?

Jaylin Lane, Virginia Tech
How will Jaylin Lane factor in at Virginia Tech? (@j_lane_2)

The Hokies’ third and (maybe) final receiver snagged via the transfer portal is Jaylin Lane. Lane comes to Blacksburg after spending three seasons at Middle Tennessee, where he was an exciting player for the Blue Raiders’ offense. Lane got some reps for MT against the Hokies in 2021, but that’s probably not where most TSL readers will remember him from. This particular play might be a better candidate:

Yup, that’s from MT thumping Miami this past season. Lane shows off his burst as he pulls away from Kamren Kinchens (#24), a former four-star safety in his second year at Miami.

As exciting as it is, it’s not really representative of Lane’s 2022 season. From this clip, you’d be excused for thinking he was a shifty, game-breaking slot receiver for the Blue Raiders. But that catch-and-run was as much about Miami’s awful defense that day as it was about Lane’s skills. To put that in perspective, it seemed like every receiver on the team got a long catch against the ‘Canes; despite his long catch, Lane led MTSU in neither receiving yards nor yards per catch that game.

And despite his role in this clip, Lane spent almost 90% of his ‘22 snaps split wide, which is a rarity for 5’8 receiver. My feeling is that this says a little more about MTSU’s personnel and/or scheme than Lane’s skills. On a similar note, he played almost entirely on the right side of the offense, which is likely a concession to scheme, as the Raiders looked to be running an up-tempo Air Raid-style spread. The Air-Raid doesn’t place a premium on having big receivers, to the point where I’ve heard Air Raid coaches brag about having a receivers’ room full of nubbins; case in point, the guy starting on the other side of the field from Lane was 5’7. I’d wager Lane moves to the slot for the Hokies, so we’re going to look at his pile of outside highlights and pick out moments from the slot where we can.

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