From Quarterback to Tight End: Ja'Ricous Hairston's Unlikely Journey at Virginia Tech

Ja'Ricous Hairston's journey at Virginia Tech was far from ordinary.

Virginia Tech Athletics

When Ja'Ricous Hairston arrived at Virginia Tech, his days of playing quarterback were over as he transitioned to a foreign position: tight end. The former high school quarterback took a chance on himself as a preferred walk-on, betting on himself that his hard work and resiliency would pay off. It has. This season, the walk-on-turned-scholarship player has caught three touchdown passes for the Hokies this season.

TOUCHDOWN FOR JA'RICOUS HAIRSTON 😤 #ThisIsHome pic.twitter.com/e0JTTLUlqV

— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) October 11, 2025

The Transition

When Hairston was learning tight end, the transition was as challenging as it appears. Going from the player who throws passes to the one who blocks and catches them forced him to retool his thoughts on the game he grew up playing.

"As far as the blocking, that was definitely very new to me," Hairston said at Tuesday's press conference. "It took some time to learn how to do that, and we've been growing at it ever since."

Hairston's background as a quarterback has helped in other ways, allowing him to better visualize offensive schemes, anticipate where the ball should go and be able to notice soft spots in coverage.

"I would say [playing quarterback] helped with my route running," he said. "Just kind of knowing where [quarterback Kyron Drones] would like me to be to get an easier ball thrown."

Despite being a natural athlete, it took Hairston some time to adjust to the physical demands of the tight end positio.

"My second rep ever as a collegiate athlete, I'm going against APR," Hairston said, referring to defensive lineman Antwaun Powell-Ryland. "He hit a spin move on me that spun me around. When he spun, I spun, and I just basically watched him o what would've been a sack on KD if it was a real game."

Betting on Himself

Before he ever put on a Virginia Tech uniform, Hairston faced a crossroads. Most of the schools recruiting him as a walk-on envisioned him outgrowing the quarterback position and suggested he move to tight end. But at his high school, that switch was not an option.

"Everybody was telling me, 'Hey, we think you'll outgrow the quarterback position. We want you to move to tight end,'" Hairston said. "Unfortunately, I didn't have the resources to do that at my school, so I had to play quarterback.

With little to no experience at the new position, scholarship offers were limited. Hairston received offers from smaller schools including a few Division II programs, an HBCU offer from Howard and service academies, like Army and Navy. However, Hairston decided to take a chance on himself and accepted an offer from Virginia Tech as a preferred walk-on.

"The PWO offer meant more than any other," Hairston said. "They actually came and sat down and explained to me what a PWO offer was. They didn't just send it through an email or a text on Twitter... That's when I knew this would be a great place for me to be."

Making an Impact

This season, Hairston has worked his way up the depth chart and has become a reliable target for quarterback Kyron Drones, leading the tight ends in both receptions and receiving touchdowns. He made his presence known in the team's loss to Georgia Tech, where he caught two passes, both for touchdowns. On the season, he has three receiving touchdowns, tied for the team lead.

For Hairston, playing for Virginia Tech wasn't only about the opportunity to play football at the collegiate level. It was about fulfilling a lifelong dream of playing at his dream school.

"It's still surreal," he said. "Sometimes I just text my parents and ask, 'Hey man, it's kind of crazy that I'm scoring touchdowns in college now.' It was all a dream, and for it to start to unfold is truly an amazing feeling."