Brent Pry wouldn't be surprised if Ali Jennings returned from injury this season

Virginia Tech snapped a three-game losing streak on Saturday by beating Pittsburgh 38-21, and it did so without star receiver Ali Jennings.

Jennings has not played since since the Purdue game in the second week of the season. He suffered an ankle injury in that game, though it doesn’t appear at this point that it will be season-ending.

There’s a chance Jennings could still return in 2023.

“There’s still an outside shot,” coach Brent Pry said this weekend. “I mean that’s the plan right now. He wants to give it a shot, and the trainers and the docs are working hard with him.”

Jennings has been on crutches but has still been around the team as he rehabs the ankle. Prior to his injury he caught five passes for 72 yards and a touchdown.

In his career, he has logged 147 catches for 2,337 yards and 18 touchdowns, so he’s a bona fide weapon when available. He put up that production at West Virginia (2019-20), Old Dominion (2021-22) and Virginia Tech (2023).

Pry thinks he could rehab hard enough to get back before the season ends.

“With the way he is and his mindset it wouldn’t surprise me to see him make it back,” Pry said.

Quarterback Grant Wells also recovering

Ali Jennings wasn’t the only player injured in the Purdue game, as quarterback Grant Wells also went down with a leg injury in the fourth quarter. Like Jennings, he hasn’t played since.

Pry provided a brief update on Wells before the Pittsburgh game.

“There was some progress, but not enough to get excited about,” Pry said on Tuesday. “I think he was a little bit better Sunday. Pushed the envelope more. I think he was a little better Sunday. So (Tuesday was) a big day, I think, to see where he can get.”

Pry, who began his career at Marshall before transferring to Virginia Tech, has passed for 8,288 yards and 48 touchdowns in his career, while throwing 33 interceptions.