Who is WR Kaleb Smith?

In four seasons, Virginia Tech wide receiver Kaleb Smith has gone from walk-on prospect to team captain, as announced on Friday afternoon.

Smith, a one-time Wake Forest commit, turned down several scholarship offers to walk on at Virginia Tech before eventually earning an offer from the Hokies.

Who is Virginia Tech wide receiver Kaleb Smith?

As a recruit out of Patrick Henry High School (Ashland, VA), Smith had plenty of suitors out of high school including scholarship offers from Wake Forest and Virginia. After initially committing to Wake Forest during the summer before his senior season, Smith backed out of his pledge and instead opted to accept a preferred walk-on opportunity with the Hokies.

Smith enrolled at Virginia Tech in January of 2018 but didn’t see any game action until his redshirt freshman season the following year. Smith played in 11 games for Virginia Tech during the 2019 season, earning five starts, and was put on scholarship in the process.

He finished his redshirt freshman season with nine catches for 121-yards and one touchdown.

In 2020, Smith played in eight games for the Hokies, making four starts, finishing the season with eight receptions for 88-yards and one touchdown.

During the 2021 season, Smith saw his targets begin to increase. Playing in all 13 games, making 11 starts, Smith recorded 20 receptions for 260-yards and two touchdowns.

Ahead of the 2022 season, Smith was named one of Virginia Tech’s seven captains.