Virginia Tech missed out on some key in-state linebacker prospects. And you go down the road and theres a coach youve known for 20 years and you can say, Tell me about that guy. And he says, Coach, thats a heck of a ball player. The No. There are probably going to be more, but the Post season conference awards are a big deal for the players that win them. The Hokies now have six confirmed seniors who are taking advantage of their additional year of eligibility from the COVID-19 season. He offers consistency, Mines said. READ MORE, Virginia Tech was the first P5 program to offer Ohio offensive lineman Jake Wheelock, and he will visit Blacksburg this weekend. We want to reach out and make sure you hear it from us first. The results were positive, particularly around Richmond, receivers coach Fontel Mines territory, where Tech landed seven prospects eight if you include ODU transfer Ali Jennings III. You can win those jump balls, 80-20, is what I call it. Michigan, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma had shown interest in him. Here are some key takeaways from signing day: Virginia Techs class has a distinctly Virginia flavor to it, with 16 of the 29 total signees having played their high school ball in the commonwealth. 0.8478. 12/19/2022. 623 55 9. By: Joe Lanza. Gabriel Williams Remains Highly-Coveted By Virginia Tech, The Virginia Tech 2023 Class In The Half-Star System, Alex Taylor Includes Virginia Tech In Top 7, Amir Jackson Picks Up Virginia Tech Offer, Virginia Tech Adds JUCO DE James Jennette, Virginia Tech Football Junior Days, Part 2, Virginia Tech Football Junior Days, Part 1, Chanz Wiggins Takes In Virginia Tech Again, Bodie Kahoun Picks Up Virginia Tech Offer, Ari Watford Preparing For Visit To Virginia Tech. Early signing day is Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021. In the spring, the Hokies made a point of hitting every school in the state. Try a week on us. Virginia Techs Elizabeth Kitley pulls down her second ACC player of the year award, Georgia Amoore and Taylor Soule get team honors, and Tech gets ready for Selection Sunday. The last one who fit the bill was defensive tackle Tim Settle from the 2015 class. This is whats behind it. He finishes in the record-book as the No. We've got a lot of those conversations, I think I've got 33 or 34 meetings scheduled over the next couple of days.". But the staff has connections that way too, with defensive coordinator Chris Marve having played and coached at Vanderbilt, sam linebackers coach Shawn Quinn playing collegiately at Carson-Newman and with a number of past coaching jobs in Tennessee and Pry himself with stints at Memphis and Vanderbilt. Were looking for possibly a running back to come in and compete with Malachi and Chance (Black) and those guys and make that room better, Pry said. READ MORE, In-state cornerback Joshua Clarke has visited Virginia Tech six times, and he's close to narrowing his list. I can see both playing in 2023. 5-9 / 6 Virginia at North Carolina, Highlights: No. And for some of those players, Pry either flipped from other schools or beat some good competition to land those signatures. He will be a starter wherever he lands. 210, DL / Football Dec 2 TBA. March 3, 2023 9:10 am CT. Peyton Lewis, a running back prospect from the 2024 recruiting class, picked up an offer from the Alabama coaching staff on Thursday. BLACKSBURG, Va. While signing day went off without a hitch for Virginia Tech, that doesnt mean there werent some nervous moments leading up to it. The high schoolers are Watson and Wittke at quarterback, running back Jeremiah Coney, Greene and Baylor at receiver, offensive lineman Layth Ghannam, Hannes Hammer and Williams, defensive end Ishmael Findlayter and Cotman and Phillips at defensive back. If he does return, likely in a special teams capacity, he wouldnt be on scholarship, though hes marketable enough that Tech could pursue NIL opportunities for him. Those are the rankings to focus on as they combine the different recruiting services. Though none is ranked better than a three-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite, all four are 652nd or higher nationally, boosting what had been a solid but not spectacular class in the final month, with the Hokies now up to 34th in the national team rankings and sixth in the ACC. 6-4 / The opinions of the author(s) on this site are independent and no way reflect the opinions of the Virginia Tech administrators, coaches, staff, or athletes. North Carolina was all over cornerback Cam Fleming in the final two weeks. Lets get to work #NewHome pic.twitter.com/zvIhIcrD1B, Chance Fitzgerald (@itschancefitz) December 16, 2022. Antonio Cotman was a late flip from Boston College. Felton is a bigger-bodied receiver that Techs lacked in recent years, listed at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds. 2022 Virginia Tech Football Commitment List Total Commitments 24 Receiver Cole Beck, defensive tackles Norell Pollard and Mario Kendricks and defensive end Pheldarius Payne could also come back for another season. He'll visit Blacksburg for Junior Day next weekend. -, S / AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. That means the Hokies need to have another wave of attrition at some point, be it when the new semester starts in January or later once spring ball concludes and a second transfer window opens up, just to get to the 85 max number. Ishmael Findlayter, Linebacker: Tavorian Copeland, Aycen Stevens. 6-1 / Drones has three years of eligibility remaining. Cameron Clark Makes First Virginia Tech Visit. Coney was a late flip who looks the part. 61 receiver, coming off a season in which he had 85 catches for 1,268 yards and 14 TDs for Nolensville (Tenn.) High. A ranking of the 2023 Best College Football Players in West Virginia. Liz Kitleys 53rd double-double, matched by Taylor Soules double-double, and G sinks 5 Threes! Offensive lineman Lance Williams, a Tennessee Mr. Football for his classification, was the first commitment in the class from Alcoa, south of Knoxville. BLACKSBURG, Va. So this is what recruiting momentum feels like? 205, CB / 34 nationally, according to the 247Sports team composite rankings. 32 among NCAA FBS programs (per Rivals ). ACC Championship. 247Sports employs a staff of more than 50 full time recruiting reporters and evaluators that rank and compile data on the nation's elite . As much as I like the cornerback class, I equally like the safeties. Pry said the Hokies are still pursuing some transfers in the first week of January who could still be spring semester enrollees, with three on the docket to make official visits as of now. That quarterback rooms going to look a little different right out of the gate come January 18th, Pry said. In fact, 12 of the high school signees from Virginia were ranked 20th or lower in the state, with Penn State (six of the top 10) and North Carolina (five of the top 20) at the forefront of the poachers. 6-6 / We want to take care of the state and the kids because thats how were going to get back to where it was back in the day, senior director of player personnel Mike Villagrana said. Virginia Tech football is putting a stamp on its 2023 signing class with as good of a finish as you could. READ MORE, Despite being a UVA legacy, Grant Karczewski will walk-on at Virginia Tech after specific advice from his parents. The 6-foot 202-pound play-maker has played safety, nickel and cornerback in his Virginia Tech career. Virginia Tech is hopeful to get defensive tackle Norell Pollard back too, though nothings been finalized on that front. Several schools out there went hard after a few Hokies commitments. Length offers the quarterback a little bit easier target. Fitzgerald was the most recent offensive addition, committing to the Hokies on Friday. Signed Letter of Intent (15) Pos Ht / Wt Rating Status Chance Fitzgerald Nolensville (Nolensville, TN) More than anything, we wanted to get guys who had good production, Mines said. (Top photo: Courtesy of Virginia Tech Athletics). (Virginia Tech sports photography) On early signing day, 25 prospects from the class of 2023 signed their NLIs with Virginia Tech football: 13 on offense and 12 on defense. Johnson had other options before committing to Virginia Tech but chose the Hokies. 6-6 / Jennings is an instant No. Theres 80-20 in my room. 240. Some of them had other head coaches sitting on their couch in their living room, Hokies coach Brent Pry said. Brandon Patterson breaks down that game. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Hes going to make sure those guys are doing extra. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Life Christian Academy (Colonial Heights, VA), Clarkson Football North (Mississauga, ON), RB / Duke, Virginia Tech offer 2025 top-75 QB George MacIntyre. Note: This article will be updated regularly so check back to get the latest updates on roster changes as Virginia Tech prepares for the 2023 season. The speed and pattern matchingarentgreat, but the ball skills are above average. Below is a graphical representation of how our formula works. Nine scholarship players have already gone into the portal. Lovett and Fleming are also players who had attention from other schools but maintained their pledges to the Hokies. I think hes proven. Recruits can send in their National Letter of Intent (NLI) starting at 7 a.m. We'll begin providing updates at that time, and we'll be here all day. Thats two receiver additions from Tennessee this month, with the Hokies also landing Greene, a former Cincinnati commit, whos from Powell, just outside of Knoxville. (Jerome Miron / USA Today), Twenty-nine players signed with the Hokies on Wednesday. The receiver group rounded out late with the additions out of Tennessee of both Ayden Greene, a one-time Cincinnati commit, and Chance Fitzgerald. (D-lineman Rashaud Pernell signed but did not enroll, ending up at Liberty.). We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Presented by, 2024 tight end Cameron Clark took his first visit to Virginia Tech in late January after picking up a December offer. I think in this cycle, they understand we meant it. READ MORE, TechSideline.Com Unofficially, all the recent movement puts the Hokies at 92 scholarship players, a figure that will need to be trimmed significantly to get to the 85 maximum scholarship number, especially if Tech has designs on adding more transfers next month. Krystian Williams is another who could move around. 237, WR / 285, DL / Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. In his junior highlight tape, he flashes some burst and athleticism. Here are Techs offensive additions in the past two weeks: WR: Jennings (transfer), Fitzgerald (HS), Greene (HS). Here are a few more thoughts on the class as things come to a conclusion: The latest addition Monday night was tight end Zeke Wimbush, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound three-star prospect from Stone Bridge High in Ashburn who decommitted from Charlotte on Sunday, just days after receiving a Hokies offer. Stevens will probably end up at defensive end, and, like Abbey, be a pretty good one. For our in-house analysis of each signee for Virginia Tech, check out our videos on YouTube. Virginia Tech added Baylor transfer QB Kyron Drones. I dont want somebody thats afraid of competition. - / Arena is Virginia Tech's fourth commitment for 2023, joining offensive linemen Lance Williams (Alcoa, Tennessee) and Hannes Hammer (Roanoke, Virginia via Germany and defensive end Jason. . Obviously, we think our guys can continue to develop, the young guys in our program. Though both are 6-foot-2, joining the 6-5 Felton, getting bigger wasnt necessarily a primary objective of the Hokies coaches. David Cunningham will have a story at the end of the day on Wednesday to recap Techs December signees, and Chris Coleman will have a columnas well. Odds & lines subject to change. 5-10 / TSL) is an independent publication that is in no way affiliated with or sponsored by Virginia Tech or the Virginia Tech Athletic Department. Pennix is another local standout from Appomattox. Im not going to say there wasnt concerns and there wasnt conversations that had to be had, but most times you can work through those things, and were able to do that with those guys. 1 ranked player in Ontario, per 247. Virginia Tech. The Hokies locked up his commitment late Tuesday night, springing it as a surprise on signing day. He will start somewhere in Virginia Techs secondary for multiple seasons. Related: Virginia Tech DB Chamarri Conner receives a pre-Combine draft score. "We do have time to schedule meetings, involve parents or families or coaches, if we need to, on young men considering forgoing their senior year to go to the NFL, guys considering going to the transfer portal, or guys you potentially want to help them get somewhere where they've got a better chance to play and be successful. 215, QB / It shows that theyll block and find ways to contribute to the team.. He misses too many tackles due to risky angles and struggles coming to balance in the open field. Associate AD, Chief of Staff. 6-1 / So a guy that can supply some depth and come in and be a rotational guy, give us a chance to develop this young group.. New Virginia Tech football offer: Deuce Walker. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. to rebuild the Hokies roster by way of the transfer portal and the 2023 recruiting class. In the composite rankings, Adams is. Varner has been dealing with a foot injury, but if healthy, he will be Virginia Techs best pass rusher immediately.