Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø

Holloway was one of the nation’s top punt returners in the 2023 season. There was plenty more he was willing to learn sitting out the 2024 campaign recovering from knee surgery.

“I think for sure the biggest one is J-Lane took chances and I love that,� Holloway said. “I felt like I took chances as a punt returner, but getting to watch him last year, he was a courageous dude when it came to punt returns. He took chances and it paid off.�

Holloway was cleared over the summer after tearing the ACL in his right knee late in the 2024 spring practices. He missed the entirety of the 2024 campaign and was limited throughout this past spring.

The redshirt junior is cleared and is projected to reclaim his spot as the Hokies’ punt returner after he broke onto the scene in 2022 and followed that up with a stellar 2023 season.

“I sure hope so. He’s really good. He was a nationally ranked guy prior to his injury,� special teams coordinator Stu Holt said when asked if the position is Holloway’s to lose. “We’ve got some other guys. Takye (Heath) is working back there; AG (Ayden Greene); Isaiah Spencer just got here as a transfer, catches the ball naturally. All those guys can certainly do it, but Tuck’s got a good knack for it and he does a nice job getting north/south, makes good decisions. We’re excited to have him back.�

Holloway was the nation’s No. 6 punt returner in the 2023 season by averaging 12.9 yards on 20 returns. He broke onto the scene as a freshman in 2022 by returning a punt 90 yards for a touchdown against Georgia Tech and posting an average of 21.2 yards on nine returns.

The Hokies relied on Lane with Holloway out last season. Lane averaged 10.2 yards on 24 returns, and he returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown against Marshall.

“His touchdown against Marshall, a lot of punt returners, even the best punt returners in the nation, would not have returned that because he had dudes all around him,� Holloway said. “Watching him take chances like that and be able to go out and make plays, it was fun to watch. Just having that dangerous mentality going onto the field to punt return is what I took from him.�

Holloway’s return bolsters a special teams unit that features returning starters in place-kicker John Love, kickoff specialist Kyle Lowe and long snapper Christian Epling.

Nick Veltsistas is taking over at punter after Peter Moore’s graduation. Moore ranks No. 2 in Tech history in punting average (43.3).

“Nick’s getting his opportunity. He’s been waiting a while,� Holt said. “He always pushed Peter really to the brink every camp, but never quite worked out for him to beat him out. He’s had a good start to camp and he’s doing well and continuing to work, so we’re excited about him.�

Thomas Williams is expected to be the front-runner to handle kick return duties after he averaged 19.2 yards on 13 kick returns last season.

P.J. Prioleau, who suffered an Achilles injury in the Hokies’ Oct. 5 win at Stanford, is cleared to play and is among a group of players battling to be the primary kick returner.

Prioleau, a Radford High graduate, averaged 21.5 yards on four kickoff returns last season.

“I’m an older guy, I’m a senior, I’ve played multiple positions here, so I think I’ve gained the trust already in that stance,� Prioleau said. “But, yeah, them seeing me do it in a real game definitely gave me a boost in their trust and confidence in me.�

Tyler Mason and Tennessee transfer Cam Seldon are expected to battle for the job.

“I like the guys that break tackles and I like the guys that have vision. I tend to lean more towards running backs than other positions because that’s what they do every day,� Holt said of players he prefers at kick return. “They have to see the pattern on the return, they understand ball security, they also understand we’re not going to block everybody, so you’ve got to be able to break a tackle. So I think the running back skill set fits it the best through the years. But we’ve certainly had guys like Thomas Williams, who plays corner for us, and he returned a lot and did a nice job for us last year. That’s kind of where we start in the running back room and then we’ll just see who has a knack for it.�

Two specialists are entering the season on preseason watch lists.

Love was one of 30 kickers named to the Lou Groza Award watch list, and Epling was one of 30 players named to the Patrick Mannelly Award watch list.

Love made 16 of 18 field goals and was 8 of 9 from 40-plus yards last season. He converted on a 60-yard field goal to end the first half of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

“I think the reason John’s had success is he understands it’s all about the next opportunity, the next rep, so he just has to remain consistent, trust the training that got him to this point,� Holt said. “He’s certainly getting some attention — well-deserved attention — for his accomplishments, but he also understands that it’s a new year. That stuff’s great, but it really doesn’t have a lot of bearing on moving forward. We’ve got to go do it again.�

Epling shared snapping duties in 2023 and handled the long snapping duties last season.

“He’s really worked, man. From the time he got here, he was recruited to a different system. Our system is different than maybe what his skill set was coming out of high school,� Holt said. “He had to put on weight, he had to improve some technique, and then just has bought in 100% and has reaped the rewards for it. It’s great to have him back. He’s very consistent.�

Lowe recorded 40 touchbacks on 71 kickoffs last season. He had 54 touchbacks on 76 kickoffs in 2023.

“He’s got a great leg, he’s one of the best in the country, he should be in the 80-percentile range for touchbacks,� Holt said. “So I think he would tell you that he just wants to be more consistent throughout the game, and probably wants to start fast, too. His last two years of kicking off, I think being ready Week 1 and really hammering the ball down the field, I think those are areas that he would certainly say, yeah, I want to improve there.�