Virginia Tech is making roster moves as it prepares for its first campaign under James Franklin. The new head coach got a good look at his players during the spring practices. Weeks after their spring game, the Hokies are releasing a wide receiver who was set to enter his second year with the program. The reason for his exit remains unclear.

“Cam Sparks is no longer with the football program,” Tech Sideline’s Andy Bitter reported Virginia Tech’s statement on X. “Roster attrition is common following a head coaching change, and institutions must now also be mindful of recently mandated roster limits established through the House settlement.

Our priority is to be direct and transparent with impacted student-athletes as early as possible so they have the best opportunity to evaluate their next steps academically and athletically. We appreciate Cam’s time at Virginia Tech and will support him through that transition,” the statement added.

While the program cited roster limits as a reason in its statement, Andy Bitter also reported that the wide receiver may be connected to an off-field incident.

“In the VA courts database, a Cameron Lamar Sparks got a misdemeanor DWI on April 12. His lawyer is listed as Jimmy Turk, who frequently defends VT athletes. Sparks is due in court again on June 18,” Bitter said on X.

When Sparks joined Virginia Tech, he was never perceived as a player who would soon become surplus to requirements. Per Rivals’ rankings, he was recruited as a three-star commit in the 2025 class. He was ranked as the No. 22 prospect in the state of Tennessee and the No. 107 receiver recruit in the country. However, his freshman year saw him get very little game time, so he redshirted.

And while his second season would have come with more optimism, the coach who recruited him was let go by the program. Brent Pry was fired last September after a 0-3 start to the season. Beyond 2025, his stint at Virginia Tech has hardly been productive, with a 16-24 record across four seasons.

Sparks’ main obstacle was not just the returning players he had to compete with from the 2025 roster. Twelve players transferred from Penn State to Virginia Tech, including two wide receivers. Then, another 11 recruits flipped their commitment from Penn State to Virginia Tech after Franklin’s hire. Franklin understood the challenge with this and wanted to give every player a chance.

“I wanted everybody to know they had a clean slate,” Franklin said. “I didn’t want the Virginia Tech players to feel like I’m bringing these Penn State guys here and that they’re automatically going to be first-team and second-team on the depth chart like that. That’s not going to happen. Everybody’s going to come in and earn it.”

However, if the release is connected to the alleged DWI incident, then the move is simply Franklin’s attempt to enforce discipline at his new program.

Cam Sparks at Virginia Tech Spring Game

At the Virginia Tech Spring Game last month, Sparks looked more like the player that the Hokies saw at Baylor High School and recruited. In the game, the White Squad defeated the Maroon team 30-21

Sparks was on the White squad and scored their last touchdown. He caught a two-yard pass from Bryce Baker to give them the victory. It was his last remarkable action in Virginia Tech colors. Unfortunately, it was not good enough to force his retention.

In his senior season, he recorded over 900 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 19 yards per catch. This was after a junior season in which he recorded 711 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns despite an injury.