Virginia Tech Football: ESPN has an intriguing breakout player for the Hokies in 2024

Saturday, the Virginia Tech football team held their annual Spring Game at Lane Stadium. Several members of the Hokies impressed and if there is one thing we learned from the game, it’s that the 2024 team has the potential to be a deep team.

Several positions are deep and on the defensive side of the ball and at linebacker, Jaden Keller has been someone who has stuck out in practices and scrimmages leading into the Spring Game and head coach Brent Pry has noticed how well he has performed this spring.

“He’s had a great spring,” Pry said. “If I had to pick a top three or four guys, he’d be one of them. Defensively, he’s always done a nice job in practice. It hasn’t translated to scrimmages, into the game.  This spring, each of these last two Fridays, he’s done a really nice job in the live scrimmage work.”

It seems like people outside of Blacksburg are catching on to Keller and David Hale of ESPN named him as a potential breakout candidate in 2024.

“A redshirt junior, Keller has grown by leaps and bounds from his arrival as an undersized playmaker in the middle of the field, and yet, Virginia Tech still hasn’t seen the best of him. Keller has made four starts in his career and had some nice moments, but head coach Brent Pry said he remains a player the team hopes will emerge as a genuine star.

This spring has probably been the closest to that breakthrough for Keller, who figures to be the starter at middle linebacker in the fall, and Pry said Keller has been at his best during the Hokies’ scrimmages at Lane Stadium. Expect Keller to put on another show Saturday, this time with fans watching. “

– David Hale of ESPN

Linebacker was addressed in the transfer portal with Sam Brumfield coming in from Middle Tennessee State and if Keller can be a breakout candidate in the fall playing alongside Brumfield and Kelli Lawson, then the Hokies could have a very good linebacking core behind a talented defensive line.