Position Preview: Wide Receivers

It’s to be expected that the wideouts starting for the Hokies this season will look largely different than those who were featured in 2024. The top four receivers from last year’s room – Jaylin Lane, Ali Jennings, Da’Quan Felton, and Stephen Gosnell – have now found work in the NFL, suiting up for various squads after a draft window that saw a total of 17 former Tech student-athletes go pro. Such movement gives Mines and the receiving corps flexibility to feature plenty of talented pass-catchers on gamedays this year, making the position an intriguing one to pay attention to as the season progresses. 

Headlining the returning portion of the wide receiver room this fall is Ayden Greene. The Knoxville, Tennessee native enters 2025 with plenty of momentum after playing in all 13 games last season, hauling in 19 receptions for 268 yards alongside touchdowns at Miami and against Clemson. Greene also showcased his speed in flashes during the 2024 campaign, rushing nine times for 66 yards and finding the end zone against Duke late in the season. An impressive postseason performance against Minnesota (6 receptions, team-high 115 yards) serves as a taste of what Greene can provide to the Hokies as a premier offensive weapon this year, one who is poised to flourish under first-year coordinator Philip Montgomery.  

Returning alongside Greene are a handful of Hokie wideouts that can provide depth at the position for Mines and the Tech staff. Redshirt sophomore Takye Heath enters his third year in Blacksburg after playing in seven contests in 2024 while redshirt junior Tucker Holloway returns after missing last season with an injury. Redshirt freshmen Keylen “Brodie” Adams and Chanz Wiggins also join Mines and company, the pairing both appearing in contests throughout the second half of the 2024 campaign.  Head Coach Brent Pry, Mines and the Virginia Tech football staff did a knockout job at addressing offensive vacancies in the transfer portal this offseason. Mines, who doubles as the offensive recruiting coordinator for the Hokies, went and found several high-performing student-athletes that can make an immediate impact on the receiving corps.  

Of the three transfer portal commits joining the Hokies in 2025 – Wake Forest’s Donavon Greene, Jackson State’s Isaiah Spencer, and Tennessee’s Cameron Seldon – Greene enters with the most experience. A graduate student hailing from Mount Airy, N.C., Greene spent six years with the Demon Deacons, retaining eligibility after missing the 2021 and 2023 seasons due to injury. Standing at 6-foot-2, 196 pounds, the wideout’s most productive year was in 2022, where he led the team in average yards per reception (17.4) en route to a 642-yard season. 

Alongside quarterback Kyron Drones, linebacker Jaden Keller and defensive lineman Kelvin Gilliam Jr., Greene made an appearance at the 2025 ACC Kickoff in Charlotte, N.C. Joining the ACC Network staff, Greene spoke on the opportunity to suit up in maroon and orange: 

Greene also finds himself on Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks List” rankings, a list composed at the beginning of each college football season highlighting the most naturally athletic talent across the country. Greene enters the list at No. 41 after recording a 42-inch vertical jump and an 11-foot-4 ½ broad jump this offseason. 

Also on the “Freaks List” ranking is fellow receiver Seldon, who checks in at No. 70. A two-year player for the Volunteers, Seldon was mostly utilized as a running back, playing in 13 games in 2023 and featuring in multiple contests the following year. Seldon is an exciting recruit for Mines, as the consensus four-star’s ability to run and catch placed him as the top player in the state of Virginia and as the No. 3 athlete in his class per 247Sports. Rounding out the transfer class of wide receivers is Spencer, whose most dominant year came in a 2024 campaign that saw 35 receptions, 660 yards, and five touchdowns.  

Devin Alves is an intriguing receiver to watch in 2025. Alves made the move over from the defensive backfield in the offseason and has shown flashes of what he can do in preseason camp. 

A host of true freshmen receivers join the fold for this season as well, including Shamarius “Snook” Peterkin, Cam Sparks, Micah Matthews, and Luke Stuewe. All are anxious to learn and compete during their first season in Blacksburg. 

With just a few weeks until the Hokies kick off their 2025 season, Mines has a deep room in preparing for the upcoming competition. Don’t miss out on the chance to purchase tickets and see the Hokies in Lane Stadium later this fall!