- / Another defensive back: Though Tech did plenty of work restocking the defensive backfield, Pry wants a bridge between the vets and youngsters. For more details about the site, including a list of TechSideline.com staff, see our About page. A running back: Malachi Thomas is back, but hes coming off an injury-plagued season, and Tech struggled to run the ball physically with anybody else. What we learned about Virginia Tech's Class of 2023 as the early signing period began Wednesday, with 25 prep players and four transfers. Caleb Woodson is another who had interest from others. In the composite rankings, Adams is. Hes going to make sure those guys are doing extra. The Hokies wanted to add talent to the wide receiver position, and they certainly did. Virginia Tech 2023 Football Prospects - 247Sports Buy Tickets Opens in new window. Virginia Tech recruiting: Top 2024 prospect includes the Hokies in his 5-10 / Its not easy, Pry said of the juggling act of adding three quarterbacks in a class. Pry thinks Tech secured commitments early from some undervalued players in the state who had strong senior seasons, which helped the Hokies fend off late challengers once their recruitment heated up, We came in here talking a big game about recruiting this state, he said. One concern for the Hokies is they didnt do enough on the defensive line. Virginia Tech has offered Salisbury (N.C.) 2024 cornerback Deuce Walker. Though both are 6-foot-2, joining the 6-5 Felton, getting bigger wasnt necessarily a primary objective of the Hokies coaches. And those guys are going to know each other from tournaments and playing one another and growing up in Pee Wee ball and different things. I worry about the lack of defensive tackles in this class, but the Hokies are counting on the top group from last year returning and the development of last years class. 6-4 / Obviously, we think our guys can continue to develop, the young guys in our program. 5-9 / My background is man coverage, man-press coverage, aggressive., cornerbacks coach Derek Jones said. Alabama Football Recruiting: Tide offer 2024 RB from Virginia 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. Cotman was the latest defensive player the Hokies snagged. A true legacy who can play. 34 nationally, according to the 247Sports team composite rankings. One-On-One With Virginia Tech Football's Brent Pry By: David Cunningham | March 2, 2023 On Wednesday, Tech Sideline's David Cunningham sat down with Brent Pry to discuss individual players, the transfer portal and other topics. Just a lot goes into it, so its easy to get excited when they jump on there and theyre signed, sealed and delivered.. They'll all decide what's best for them individually in the upcoming weeks. The good thing about that position is they have the same qualities, Mines said. In addition to key transfers in quarterback Kyron Drones and receiver Ali Jennings III, the Hokies have gotten six high school commitments this month, with four coming from players who are among the top-six ranked recruits in Techs class receivers Chance Fitzgerald (2) and Ayden Greene (3), cornerback Antonio Cotman Jr. (5) and quarterback Pop Watson (6). READ MORE, Thomas Dale 2025 athlete Shamari Earls recently picked up an offer from Virginia Tech, and he will visit next month. READ MORE, Despite being a UVA legacy, Grant Karczewski will walk-on at Virginia Tech after specific advice from his parents. Virginia Tech. Executive Assistant to the Head Coach. 280, PRO / By Tim Weaver | February 27, 2023 1:37 pm ET. Virginia Tech recruiting: Who did Hokies sign? How did Brent Pry do in @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. READ MORE, 2024 in-state target Chanz Wiggins was in Blacksburg on Monday night, and he's become very familiar with Virginia Tech. Coney was a late flip who looks the part. All Hokie, All the Time. (Photo of Brent Pry: Reinhold Matay / USA Today). 150. 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. TSL) is an independent publication that is in no way affiliated with or sponsored by Virginia Tech or the Virginia Tech Athletic Department. While theres always positional flexibility to consider with many of these athlete types coming in, particularly with the Hokies need for offensive playmakers, its not far-fetched to see a DB class that includes Cotman, Cameren Fleming, Braylon Johnson, Thomas Williams and Dante Lovett. GO HOKIES!!! 197, OT / He'll visit Blacksburg for Junior Day next weekend. 300, S / 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. Really high football IQ, great wheels and can spin it. Pry added to a class mostly put together by his predecessor last year, with late commitments from tight end Benji Gosnell and offensive lineman Brody Meadows, who were the second and fourth highest-ranked members of the group, though that was blunted by signing day flips by running back Ramon Brown to Maryland and quarterback Alex Orji to Michigan. . 6-6 / Brandon Patterson breaks down that game. Hes the No. The NFL Combine runs from Tuesday, February 28 through Monday, March 6. Lewis plays running back at Salem High School in Salem, Virginia. Virginia Tech football recruiting: Four-star RB Ramon Brown commits to 6-2 / VTScoop - Virginia Tech Hokies Football and Recruiting Stay up to date with all the Virginia Tech Hokies sports news, recruiting, transfers, and more at 247Sports.com 247Sports. His brother played for Pry at Penn State, and he had other options, but that relationship with Pry was good for the Hokies. @CoachPryVT @TylerBowen @CoachShawnQuinn @HokiesFB pic.twitter.com/tCR903bBkM, Zeke Wimbush (@zekewimbush7) December 19, 2022. 6-3 / And certain areas are listening, as it seems Prys early work is already paying off in Richmond. 5-11 / In addition to Drones, the Hokies signed two high school quarterbacks, bringing Dylan Wittke and Pop Watson into the fold. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Signed Letter of Intent (15) Pos Ht / Wt Rating Status Chance Fitzgerald Nolensville (Nolensville, TN) But at the same time, we have to be better in that area.. Football Nov 25 TBA. 231-4132. READ MORE, Virginia Tech hosted arguably the top prospect in the state of Virginia last weekend for their second Junior Day event. Commit Editor. READ MORE, Virginia Tech has had a lot of highly-touted visitors on campus over the last week. Presented by, 2024 tight end Cameron Clark took his first visit to Virginia Tech in late January after picking up a December offer. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. The commentary is also linked in the Our Take column of the table below. 205, RB / Period. BLACKSBURG, Va. So this is what recruiting momentum feels like? The y-axis in this graph represents the percentage weight of the score that gets applied to an overall team ranking. Hailing from north of Charlotte . Spring practice updates Recruiting news NFL Draft . Liz Kitleys 53rd double-double, matched by Taylor Soules double-double, and G sinks 5 Threes! The highest-ranked in-state signee Tech had was cornerback Antonio Cotman Jr., the 16th-ranked player in the 247Sports Composite. 5-11 / Virginia Tech Hokies Football Recruiting News | On3.com 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. The Hokies did plenty of work in Tennessee in this class, an area that Tech hasnt tapped into all that much in recent years, getting four signees from the Volunteer State. The Hokies didnt venture west into Tennessee often in the latter Beamer years and signed just five players from the state during Justin Fuentes six seasons, most notably linebacker Jaden Keller in 2021. This is why were making this decision. NA 135 140. We still have a couple needs were trying to fill, he said. TechSideline.com (a.k.a. Nationally, the Hokies' class has peaked at No. You can win those jump balls, 80-20, is what I call it. Virginia Tech Football Class of 2023 Signing Day Central -, S / S. Caleb Hardy Eagle's Landing (Mcdonough, GA) 6-3 / 182. Lovett and Fleming are also players who had attention from other schools but maintained their pledges to the Hokies. 270, LB / I would expect him to redshirt and develop a bit before he plays. Tight end Nick Gallo, linebacker Alan Tisdale and safety Nasir Peoples had previously announced theyd come back. Id like to get a bona fide pass rusher off the edge, a proven guy that can win more one-on-one battles, Pry said. He is perhaps the most important player in this class. Fitzgerald was the most recent offensive addition, committing to the Hokies on Friday. The 6-foot 202-pound play-maker has played safety, nickel and cornerback in his Virginia Tech career. The Hokies added four offensive linemen. And you want guys that want to compete. There are 25 high school signees, plus four transfer additions. The final transfer was speedy 6-foot-4 wide receiver Quan Felton from Norfolk State. There is still work to do in Northern Virginia and the 757, but Pry and his staff are off to a terrific start. (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. The speed and pattern matching, great, but the ball skills are above average. I also wouldnt be shocked if Pry looks for a defensive tackle via the transfer portal. It just so happened to fall in place that we kind of killed two birds with one stone. He is from Maury High School in Norfolk alma mater of Virginia Tech legend Kam Chancellor. Its infectious, Pry said. And for some of those players, Pry either flipped from other schools or beat some good competition to land those signatures. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 6-4 / 190, DL / Jonathan Pennix and Krystian Williams are athletes who could start out on either side of the ball. 207, TE / 236, RB / Conner has late Day 3 value as a potential backup., has participated in the 2023 Reese's Senior Bowl, Virginia Tech DB Chamarri Conner receives a pre-Combine draft score. 2023 Football Schedule - Virginia Tech Athletics 2023 Virginia Tech Athletics - All Rights Reserved. Gambling problem? Thomas Williams is a sensational athlete and could also figure into the mix here. Lets get to work #NewHome pic.twitter.com/zvIhIcrD1B, Chance Fitzgerald (@itschancefitz) December 16, 2022. I think in this cycle, they understand we meant it. You can access the playlist below, beginning with Dante Lovetts video, and stepping through all 25 videos. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The Hokies were competing at the Lone Star State Invitational this weekend. 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. Virginia Tech Hokies Baseball Walks Away with a 3-1 Week 2 Record, Quarterback: William Pop Watson III, Dylan Wittke, Wide receiver: Chance Fitzgerald, Ayden Greene, Marcell Baylor, Takye Heath, Krystian Williams, Offensive line: Layth Ghannam, Lance Williams, Gabriel Arena, Hannes Hammer, Edge [DE/OLB]: Jason Abbey. 250, S / If Joe Rudolph picks them, you should like them, too. 6-3 / PUBLISHER. 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. 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.