Virginia Tech Gives Promising Update on Status of Skydiver Who Collided With Lane Stadium Scoreboard

A skydiver descending into Lane Stadium ahead of Virginia Tech’s spring game on Saturday afternoon is stable after veering off course and colliding into the stadium scoreboard.

On a warm but very windy day in Blacksburg, the pregame skydive proceeded as scheduled. Ahead of nearly every Virginia Tech home football game in the fall, skydivers parachute onto the field from high above the stadium, so why would Saturday’s much-anticipated first spring game under new head coach James Franklin be any different?

Ahead of an exciting day in Southwest Virginia, things turned scary in a hurry during the pregame festivities. One skydiver landed outside of the stadium somewhere on Virginia Tech’s practice fields behind the stadium, while the other hung suspended by his parachute, dangling from the top of Virginia Tech’s north end zone scoreboard above the student-section.

The skydiver in danger remained hanging by his parachute for several minutes before the Town of Blacksburg Fire Department was able to rescue him with the cherry picker.

Virginia Tech’s official athletics account confirmed that the skydiver was in stable condition following the unfortunate incident.

“We are grateful to report that the skydiver was safely secured and is currently stable. Our primary focus remains on their well-being. We extend our sincere appreciation to the first responders, event staff, and medical personnel for their swift, coordinated and professional response.”

As for the game itself…

Virginia Tech spring game notes

The White Team defeated the Maroon Team by a final score of 21–12 on Saturday afternoon to wrap up Virginia Tech’s first spring under James Franklin.

Penn State transfer and presumed starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer finished 13-of-17 passing for 136 yards with one touchdown and one interception. His lone touchdown pass on the day came on a rollout where he hit Duke WR transfer Que’Sean Brown for a 14-yard scoring strike. Of Grunkemeyer’s 13 completions, five of them went to Penn State transfer tight end Luke Reynolds, who hauled in the five passes for 69 yards. Veteran wide receiver Ayden Greene and the aforementioned Brown had three receptions each for the Maroon Team.

North Carolina transfer Bryce Baker (the former top recruit that joined Bill Belichick on the floor of the Dean Dome to hype up the Tar Heels crowd after the coaching legend’s hiring in Chapel Hill) is now competing as a member of Virginia Tech’s quarterback room. He completed 15 of his 27 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown, while redshirt-freshman Kelden Ryan completed nine of his 14 passes for 88 yards and a score for the White Team.

As for the defenses, the White Team finished with seven sacks, 42 tackles and an interception. Pass rushers Eric Mensah and Jason Abbey finished with 1.5 sacks each. Defensive back Amauri Polydor led the White Team with seven tackles.

Meanwhile, the Maroon Team finished with 58 tackles and three sacks. Antwone Santiago and Joshua Clarke led the way with seven tackles apiece, while presumed starting linebacker Kaleb Spencer notched a sack and five tackles, including one for loss.

Of biggest concern coming out of the spring game is the status of cornerback Jaquez White. Trainers were taking a look at his left knee early in the second half, and were seen putting a knee brace on him prior to providing him with crutches, according to Andy Bitter of Tech Sideline. He did not return to the contest.

The loss of White would be significant, as the Troy transfer was expected to be one of the top defensive backs on the depth chart heading into the fall.

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