Virginia Tech coach instantly recognized new Commanders' WR was special

“The easy part is, you know you want the ball in his hands.”

That’s what Stu Holt immediately recognized when Jaylin Lane came to Virginia Tech. As special teams coach at Tech, Holt had viewed some tape of Lane at Middle Tennessee, instantly seeing that Lane was explosive. The Commanders drafted Lane in the fourth round (128) of this year’s NFL draft.

Holt sat down on Friday and chatted with Craig Hoffman of Team 980. Holt says they were discussing how many different ways we can get the ball in his hands soon in Blacksburg. Might the Commanders' coaching staff already be thinking in a similar fashion?

“Once he got rolling catching punts, I mean that was it, he was playing extremely well,” continued Holt. "I don’t know that I’ve ever been around a guy that has the guts he has fielding the football. He truly believes 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.”

Hoffman inquired when Holt realized that Lane was not only a superb athlete but also special in terms of competitiveness. Holt responded, “You know, his father is a very strong high school coach. He’s won a ton of games. That is what Jaylin has been raised around. He was raised right. Mom and dad are tremendous people. He knew from an early age, ‘I got to go get it. I gotta go earn it. He is a mature guy and really squared away, off of the field.”

Does that remind you of some of the things spoken about the Commanders' second overall selection in the 2024 draft?  

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders' Jaylin Lane praised by former college coach