The Hokies locked up his commitment late Tuesday night, springing it as a surprise on signing day. Its the second consecutive season Tech has been ranked in that neighborhood after middling to forgettable classes in 2021 (44th) and 2020 (76th). Football Nov 18 TBA. 6-5 / 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, Kentucky tight end Willie Rodriguez has added six scholarship offers since February 1, including an offer from Virginia Tech. 318, DL / 230, CB / Some of them, you had a new head coach in the Big Ten celebrating, This is our first offer, a Virginia Tech commitment! And it went as far as guys had graphics of taking official visits to other places, which they never did. Virginia Tech basketball has picked up its first commitment of the 2024 recruiting cycle. 57 player in the class at the edge position, 247 has him at No. Conner has played in 61 games, starting every game over the last four seasons. 197, OT / The recruiting classes for the champions of both . All signing day graphics are by Giovanni Heater, and all signing day videos were produced by Nick Brown. He will be a starter wherever he lands. Nationally, the Hokies' class has peaked at No. He is from Maury High School in Norfolk alma mater of Virginia Tech legend Kam Chancellor. It just so happened to fall in place that we kind of killed two birds with one stone. 6-2 / He committed on Sunday, three days after he decommitted from Boston College and a day after an official visit in Blacksburg. 328, LB / At 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, the Life Christian Academy product has good size for a defensive back and is one of the more intriguing prospects in the class, just based on the diversity of his ranking. That thing will probably double over the next several days with it officially opening on Monday (December 5). TechSideline.com (a.k.a. However, most of the heavy lifting has been done, and any further additions will likely come through the transfer portal. Pry noted that Nashville is only a six-hour drive from Blacksburg, keeping it well within Techs footprint. The highest-ranked in-state signee Tech had was cornerback Antonio Cotman Jr., the 16th-ranked player in the 247Sports Composite. 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. Montavin Quisenberry Picks Up Virginia Tech Offer, Grant Karczewski Spurns UVA Ties To Walk On At Virginia Tech, Joshua Clarke Sees VT Again, Closes In On Cuts. Mose Phillips was a late addition and will be an outstanding college player. Cornerback: Dante Lovett, Cameren Fleming, Antonio Cotman Jr. Safety: Mose Phillips, Braylon Johnson, Caleb Woodson, Athlete: Thomas Williams, Jonathan Pennix, Tralon Mitchell. In addition to some final high school targets, the Hokies are still pursuing several transfers Temple defensive lineman Darian Varner and Norfolk State receiver DaQuan Felton are a couple to watch in the short term, with former five-star Tony Grimes out of UNC an automatic take if Tech were somehow able to beat out some heavyweights and convince him to come here. 5-10 / ET on YouTube. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Duke, Virginia Tech offer 2025 top-75 QB George MacIntyre. Hammer plays at North Cross in Roanoke. In his junior highlight tape, he flashes some burst and athleticism. On3 Football Recruiting. All Hokie, All the Time. And while well see if hes actually that big listed heights and weights on recruiting sites are hardly unimpeachable its a body type Techs lacking now that Kaleb Smith is in the transfer portal. The Virginia Tech Hokies wrapped up the early signing period last week feeling pretty good about the 2023 recruiting class. Eligible to return for a super-senior season (awaiting decision). Football Nov 25 TBA. In the spring, the Hokies made a point of hitting every school in the state. Later on Friday afternoon at 3 P.M., Conner will participate in the Defensive Back drills. 6-1 / 300, S / We really like the way he rushes the quarterback, Pry said. After veterans Hanson, Moore and Clements, the most experienced linemen on the roster are Schick (58 snaps) and a pair of freshmen, Braelin Moore (81) and Xavier Chaplin (27). He offers consistency, Mines said. 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. TechSideline.com (a.k.a. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. Virginia Tech football knows its 2023 schedule. Virginia Tech has offered Salisbury (N.C.) 2024 cornerback Deuce Walker. 1 ranked player in Ontario, per 247. It used to be a team would get past the New Year and have a pretty. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use. 5-10 / The NFL Combine runs from Tuesday, February 28 through Monday, March 6. Associate AD, Chief of Staff. Boston College. 6-6 / He was a hybrid linebacker-defensive back in both 2019 and 2020, registering a bulk of his time at the coined 'Whip' position. DaWain Lofton can play the slot, while others like Tucker Holloway and Xayvion Bradshaw push for time in the lineup. Theres a fairly even split between safeties (Johnson, Krystian Williams and Phillips) and cornerbacks (Lovett, Fleming, Cotman and Thomas Williams), though the Hokies preference is simply for players who can cover at any spot in the secondary like last year with Mansoor Delane, who came in as a safety and ended up starting and thriving at cornerback. 623 55 9. -, S / 2023 Virginia Tech Athletics - All Rights Reserved. 310. And I think he has a chip on his shoulder. QB. S. Caleb Hardy Eagle's Landing (Mcdonough, GA) 6-3 / 182. Well have a good look at things this spring.. It sounds like the Hokies want to see him begin at receiver, but I like him as a cornerback. You can see that the area under the curve gets smaller both as the rating for a commit decreases and as the number of total commits for a school increases. Here are Techs offensive additions in the past two weeks: WR: Jennings (transfer), Fitzgerald (HS), Greene (HS). He'll visit Blacksburg for Junior Day next weekend. It wouldnt be easy after Justin Fuente ignored the state for years. The Hokies should prioritize the defensive line in 2024. Some of them had other head coaches sitting on their couch in their living room, Hokies coach Brent Pry said. READ MORE, Virginia Tech was the first P5 program to offer Ohio offensive lineman Jake Wheelock, and he will visit Blacksburg this weekend. (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. Much of this incoming class is about development. Virginia Tech Hokies Defensive Back Chamarri Conneris participating in the 2023 NFL Combine, looking to boost his stock ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft. Varner is a 6-foot-2, 280-pound first-team All-AAC pick from Temple, where he had 7.5 sacks last year. The Hokies were competing at the Lone Star State Invitational this weekend. The receiver group rounded out late with the additions out of Tennessee of both Ayden Greene, a one-time Cincinnati commit, and Chance Fitzgerald. Felton is from Portsmouth. But getting the Hokies back in good standing with the top-tier prospects is a process, one Pry and his staff set about remedying last winter, with travel clinics in hotbed areas around the state and meet-and-greets to show high school coaches that Tech, which had lost some standing within the borders under Justin Fuente, was being genuine. Payoute barely played before taking a medical retirement in March, while Robinson was a 2 1/2-year starter at receiver and punt return star before transferring to Kentucky last year. He'll visit Blacksburg for Junior Day next weekend. The Hokies have not had many top-five in-state signees in any of the major recruiting sites lately, so Cotmans addition is welcomed. 6-3 / @CoachPryVT @coachscott33 @BappNAinEZBino @adamgorney @RivalsFriedman @EdOBrienCFB pic.twitter.com/SrtfDYNLja, Antonio Hazen Cotman Jr. (@CotmanHazen) December 18, 2022, Cotmans addition bolsters whats turning into a pretty good haul in the secondary for the Hokies. The Hokies have 15 players who will enroll in January, with 11 from the high school ranks and all four the transfers. 2022 Virginia Tech Football Commitment List Total Commitments 24 He can be a power runner pretty early in his Virginia Tech career. We needed somebody to come in here and compete with Grant (Wells). He was a hybrid linebacker-defensive back in both 2019 and 2020, registering a bulk of his . Virginia Tech Head Coach Brent Pry expects roster turnover this offseason as he attempts to rebuild the Hokies roster by way of the transfer portal and the 2023 recruiting class. You can win those jump balls, 80-20, is what I call it. He has compiled 314 total tackles (207 solo), 21.0 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 4 interceptions, 23 passes defensed, 4 forced fumbles and one block. All three will enroll in January, adding some juice to spring ball at the position. Johnson had other options before committing to Virginia Tech but chose the Hokies. We just know more about these guys. The Hokies had circled him as a possibility before he went in the portal, so once he officially put his name out there, offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen had done his homework and was the first coach Drones welcomed on an in-home visit. In this article, we'll analyze some overall thoughts about the class from head coach Brent . READ MORE, In-state cornerback Joshua Clarke has visited Virginia Tech six times, and he's close to narrowing his list. Dante Lovett and Cameren Fleming were two of my favorites in this class. The 2018 class is probably the last one with a strong finish that paid dividends on the field, with the Hokies landing future NFL tight end James Mitchell before the early signing period that December and coveted linebacker Dax Hollifield in February to punctuate a class ranked 22nd nationally, back before the wheels fell off during Justin Fuentes tenure. Signed Letter of Intent (15) Pos Ht / Wt Rating Status Chance Fitzgerald Nolensville (Nolensville, TN) (Photo of Brent Pry: Reinhold Matay / USA Today). READ MORE, Virginia Tech recently became the fifth program to offer Kentucky wideout receiver Montavin Quisenberry, who has yet to take a visit. Both look like future starters at cornerback for the Hokies. Four Virginia high school coaches share their impressions of Brent Pry, how Virginia Tech slipped recruiting the state, the importance of keeping players home, plus more. READ MORE, Bodie Kahoun recently picked up an offer from Virginia Tech, and the Roanoke native will be in Blacksburg tonight. NA 135 140. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. - / Related: Virginia Tech DB Chamarri Conner receives a pre-Combine draft score. Here is Virginia Techs recruiting class in full, with linked profiles on them from when they committed to the Hokies, including a brief scouting report and where they are from. Lewis plays running back at Salem High School in Salem, Virginia. Stevens will probably end up at defensive end, and, like Abbey, be a pretty good one. I truly think hes undervalued and becomes a good player for the Hokies early in his career. PUBLISHER. TSL) is an independent publication that is in no way affiliated with or sponsored by Virginia Tech or the Virginia Tech Athletic Department. All six could reasonably be considered starting candidates next season. 230, LB / -, QB / 5-10 / Michigan, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma had shown interest in him. Antonio Cotman was a late flip from Boston College. Note that this isn't necessarily a complete list of recruits who are in Blacksburg; it's only a list of those who we can confirm visited via social media. Lets get to work #NewHome pic.twitter.com/zvIhIcrD1B, Chance Fitzgerald (@itschancefitz) December 16, 2022. Drones has three years of eligibility remaining. There are 25 high school signees, plus four transfer additions. READ MORE, Alex Taylor has made multiple trips to Virginia Tech, and recently included the Hokies in his top seven schools. Obviously, we think our guys can continue to develop, the young guys in our program. All high school NLIs received are listed below. Duke is next. The Hokies ended up adding four transfers in the early period who should reshape competitions at their respective positions quarterback Kyron Drones out of Baylor, defensive lineman Darian Varner out of Temple and receivers Jennings and Felton from ODU and Norfolk State, respectively. The Hokies picked up defensive end Darian Varner, formerly of Temple, who has multiple years of eligibility remaining. The recent additions put the Hokies at 91 scholarship players by my rough count if you include all of the 2023 commitments and every senior who has an available COVID-19 year. Just a lot goes into it, so its easy to get excited when they jump on there and theyre signed, sealed and delivered.. Tight end Nick Gallo, linebacker Alan Tisdale and safety Nasir Peoples had previously announced theyd come back. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. 205, CB / 180, QB / Of that second group, tight end Nick Gallo, safety Nasir Peoples and linebacker Alan Tisdale are the only three to publicly say they plan to return next season. 788 37 8. Virginia Tech Football Transfer Tracker: Winter 2022-2023 By VTScoop247 Jan 13, 5:00 PM 207 Virginia Tech Head Coach Brent Pry expects roster turnover this offseason as he attempts to. He is another player who was undervalued. 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. Michael Hazel. Try a week on us. 0.8714. For our in-house analysis of each signee for Virginia Tech, check out our videos on YouTube. 5-10 / 5-9 / Really high football IQ, great wheels and can spin it. Its there. I think in this cycle, they understand we meant it. His brother played for Pry at Penn State, and he had other options, but that relationship with Pry was good for the Hokies. The Hokies added four offensive linemen. (As someone whos technically coming in as a walk-on, the Hokies couldnt comment publicly on him, thus his absence from Wednesdays signing day fanfare.). They worked late to flip a couple of players who committed elsewhere and came close. 205, RB / 305, / Copeland is a 6-foot-4, 195-pound from Appomattox. I also wouldnt be shocked if Pry looks for a defensive tackle via the transfer portal. I dont want somebody thats afraid of competition. Here are three areas that should give Hokie fans hope. Overall, the Hokies signed 13 players from Virginia, and three of the four transfers are from the Commonwealth. We want to reach out and make sure you hear it from us first. The Virginia Tech Hokies essentially wrapped up the 2023 recruiting class last month during the early signing period. This time around, the focus was more on the perimeter, with Tech signing seven defensive backs and seven receivers, some with positional versatility to possibly end up on either side of the ball. 280, PRO / Caleb Woodson is another who had interest from others. 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.. Receiver Cole Beck, defensive tackles Norell Pollard and Mario Kendricks and defensive end Pheldarius Payne could also come back for another season. There is still work to do in Northern Virginia and the 757, but Pry and his staff are off to a terrific start. Head coach Brent Pry enters his second year at the helm, and the Hokies open their season vs. Old Dominion on Saturday, Sept. 2 in Blacksburg. 10 ranked all-time Virginia Tech Hokie in career tackles. 207, TE / His style of play is reminiscent of former Penn . READ MORE 300, LB / That doesnt mean were not going to sign some guys from outside we did, and we will but an emphasis on homegrown talent. Projecting the depth chart By Andy Bitter Jan 4, 2023 38 BLACKSBURG, Va. New year, new roster and an evolving one at that. . After a showy signing day ceremony, the hay is in the barn now, with Pry finalizing his first full class with the Hokies, a group that ranks 35th in the 247Sports Composite and sixth in the ACC, not far from Virginia Techs historical norm. Theres no such thing as 50-50. Shannon Lewis. 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. TechSideline.Com S. TyLyric Coleman Dan River (Ringgold, VA) 6-3 / 175. Krystian Williams is another who could move around. "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. 295, TE / From analyzing Techs 2023 class, you see a heavy emphasis on Virginia and the Hokies making some noise in regional states, such as Tennessee, Maryland, West Virginia and South Carolina. Teams; CBS Sports; CBS SPORTS HQ; SportsLine; MaxPreps; Shop; . A ranking of the 2023 Best College Football Players in West Virginia.