Legacy kid leaving plus his brother is supposed to enroll this summer as a LB.
Played two season as Special Teams and backup in the secondary.
BREAKING: Virginia Tech safety Braylon Johnson enters Transfer Portal https://t.co/HJIXLEjUJY— Kolby Crawford (@kolby_crawford) April 18, 2025
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That's not great
Eh, depends why. Does he want an opportunity to play or is running away from the coaching staff? It maybe similar to Hunter McClain - player has an extreme love for the program but no realistic path to playing time.
Could also be a scheme change where he's just not a fit.
If we upgrade, then this isn't an issue. If we play the same level or worse, it's a problem.
I'm not holding my breath.
He got playing time each of the last two years and was a priority recruit in his class. This is nowhere near a Hunter McClain situation.
Full-time starter and getting playing time are two different things. Being a priority recruit doesn't mean anything at this point his career.
Hunter McClain was a signing day offer and never had a prayer of getting any playing time
Braylon was a big in-state perception recruit, from a pipeline school, with an alumnus head coach who is also his father. Not a great look for the Pry era IMO.
Not sure somebody entering the portal reflects anything on the head coach these days... it is more often than not about the cash.
Either way, VT wasn't giving him the deal he thought he earned, he wasn't getting opportunities for playing time, wasn't getting developed. All doesn't reflect well on VT or Pry for in state perception.
I agree with The Law. Unless you've got some additional insider information, that's not a reasonable conclusion. These days players make decisions based on a variety of criteria, including $$$.
Someone not getting the cash they think they're worth (or if they can get more somewhere else) is going to happen with some frequency.
But we don't really know the back story. It's possible that his dad knew he might not be P4 starter material and Pry gave him a chance.
That might help the reputation and pipeline.
I don't think most look at portaling out as a reflection of the coach any more. It's just become too common.
Says he is a grad transfer, which means the dude got his degree in 3 years while playing football! If accurate, good on him! The guy is a legacy and I am glad he got to put on the uniform. He always felt like a tweener and my guess is either too small for safety in SS's defense and doesn't have the tools to DB at this level. I hope he leaves on good terms and finds a good fit.
Rightly or wrongly, we deliberately portal'd over him. Obvious choice on his part.
I know the bowl game was a mess and a small sample size, but he looked very out of place in that game during the playing time he had. Looked like he was turned around and going the wrong way on multiple plays and believe he got "mossed" as well at one point.
The Highland Springs/recruiting perception with his dad isn't ideal, but I had written off him ever contributing
Totally.
He looked physically outmatched at the P5 level in the Bowl Game.
That TD pass that hung in the air forever that he made no play on was very telling IMO.
Regarding how bad this is for the "Pry Era"--as long as this was handled professionally by the Coaching Staff, I cant imagine that his dad is going to try to shutdown VT access to Highland Springs.
Moreover, unless Pry puts a much better product on the field this year, there won't be any Era or recruiting pipeline to be concerned about.
This is one we have to judge in hindsight. If he winds up G5/FCS and we keep getting kids from Highland Springs, it's nothing. If he goes P4 and thrives and a bunch of Highland Springs kids start winding up at the same school, it's a problem
Agreed- but there are no secrets anymore. If Braylon wasn't a starter on our horrid soft defense, he won't start elsewhere in the P4 most likely. I think he wants playing time. My guess its Sunbelt or Mac, etc.
Committed to Wake Forest