Last season, there was a huge hole on the Virginia Tech football team when punt-returner Tucker Holloway missed the season. That was a big loss in the kick game for the Hokies, but head coach Brent Pry and coach Stu Holt had a couple of options to replace Holloway.
One of those options was wide receiver Jaylin Lane, while another wide receiver, Ali Jennings, was an option. Lane ended up taking over the duties and made an immediate impact as he returned a punt in Week 2 against Marshall for a touchdown on the final play of the first quarter. However, during the 2024 campaign, Lane opened some eyes with NFL scouts and Holt.
“The easy part is, you know you want the ball in his hands,'' said Holt. “Once he got rolling catching punts, I mean that was it, he was playing extremely well. I don’t know that I’ve ever been around a guy that has the guts he has, fielding the football. He truly believes that every chance he gets with the ball in his hands, on punt return, he is going to score. And he does have a great chance to do that.”
Lane ended up waiting until Day 3 of the draft until his name was called by the Washington Commanders with the 128th pick, and the organization was excited to have been able to draft him. He will make an impact of some kind in 2025 for Washington and don't be surpried if it's returning punts for the Commanders.
Virginia Tech fans know what kind of player Lane is and the type of plays he made the last two seasons in Blacksburg and Washington fans should expect him to make some plays in the NFL. There was a reason why he rose up a lot of draft boards leading into the draft and the Commanders' win is the rest of the league's loss.