Tech landed Kyron Drones on the transfer market, a former four-star QB who spent the past two seasons with Baylor. 5-9 / However, Aycen Stevens is a name to know. 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. Hes confident. 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. 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. Try a week on us. 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. He will be a starter wherever he lands. Its the second consecutive season Tech has been ranked in that neighborhood after middling to forgettable classes in 2021 (44th) and 2020 (76th). READ MORE Ari Watford Preparing For Visit To Virginia Tech By: Jason Stamm | January 20, 2023 Ari Watford will be one of the top prospects in the state in the 2025 class. 6-2 / All six could reasonably be considered starting candidates next season. 285, DL / 240. 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. 197, OT / I would expect him to redshirt and develop a bit before he plays. The 6-foot 202-pound play-maker has played safety, nickel and cornerback in his Virginia Tech career. Meanwhile, guys like Heath, Pennix and Marcell Baylor showed plenty of versatility in high school, excelling on both sides of the ball. 0.8714. Another new head coach, Brent Pry, also had a successful recruiting cycle for Virginia Tech with the fifth-best recruiting class in the ACC. A ranking of the 2023 Best College Football Players in West Virginia. His brother played for Pry at Penn State, and he had other options, but that relationship with Pry was good for the Hokies. 10 Virginia Tech Hokies Trade Wins and Losses with No.9 Texas. Gambling problem? Pry, whose years at Penn State gave him an advantage in rebuilding those relationships. The second and third-best prospects . He is another player who was undervalued. Hes going to make us better. 6-0 / 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. 2023 Virginia Tech Football Commitment List Total Commitments 26 6-7 / Welcome to Virginia Tech Football Recruiting Signing Day Central for the Class of 2022. Greene (Knoxville), Fitzgerald (Nashville) and Phillips (Nashville) all came on board this month. We want to reach out and make sure you hear it from us first. Last year, it was the defensive and offensive lines that ate up most of the signing class, with what turned out to be six players in the trenches on defense and six on offense. All four have legit size and Ghannam could play early in his career. READ MORE, Virginia Tech hasn't signed an Ohio recruit since 2014, but with most of Ohio falling within the 6-hour radius, that should change. This years class is loading up on defensive backs. 205, DL / 8 Virginia Tech Wrestling Travels To Raleigh For ACC Tournament By: Jack Brizendine | March 2, 2023 The highest-ranked in-state signee Tech had was cornerback Antonio Cotman Jr., the 16th-ranked player in the 247Sports Composite. Tech Sidelines content of this years signing day includes a podcast around 3:30 p.m. Heath looks like a future star. While no one will confuse Virginia Tech's incoming class with Alabama . In the spring, the Hokies made a point of hitting every school in the state. Shannon Lewis. S. TyLyric Coleman Dan River (Ringgold, VA) 6-3 / 175. There are probably going to be more, but the Post season conference awards are a big deal for the players that win them. 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. 205, RB / Cotman was once considered one of the top players in Virginia, and if you go back and watch him in high school, he is a really good football player. Hes going to make sure those guys are doing extra. Here are three areas that should give Hokie fans hope. And you want guys that want to compete. Im home!!! StubHub Ticket Marketplace, AAA Travel Center & Info, English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park Fan Guide, ACCN ACC Network, Video Library presented by COX, Virginia Tech Sports Network Radio Affiliates, Sport Psychology/Counseling and Athletic Mental Performance, Student-Athlete Academic Support Services, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Another outstanding prospect from Highland Springs, Heath is electric and could figure into the mix in 2023 as a slot receiver. By: Joe Lanza. I dont want somebody thats afraid of competition. 305, DL / Virginia Tech football: A look at the Hokies 2023 recruiting class, 2023 NFL Scouting Combine: Virginia Tech safety Chamarri Conner with an impressive day, Virginia Tech football: 2 former Hokies named 2 of the NFLs top 101 players. 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. Let's take a closer look at who visited. Takye Heath is a player to watch. Hes a triple-threat guy, Pry said. He offers consistency, Mines said. 6-0 / Conner has late Day 3 value as a potential backup., He was given a prospect rating of 5.82 - which defines him as an "Average backup or Special Teamer. Cornerback: Dante Lovett, Cameren Fleming, Antonio Cotman Jr. Safety: Mose Phillips, Braylon Johnson, Caleb Woodson, Athlete: Thomas Williams, Jonathan Pennix, Tralon Mitchell. (D-lineman Rashaud Pernell signed but did not enroll, ending up at Liberty.). PUBLISHER. This is why were making this decision. (Photo of Brent Pry: Reinhold Matay / USA Today). In order to create the most comprehensive Team Recruiting Ranking without any notion of bias, 247Sports Team Recruiting Ranking is solely based on the 247Sports Composite Rating. Several schools out there went hard after a few Hokies commitments. William Watson III Springfield Central (Springfield, MA) 6-0 / 175. on February 2, 2022, 7:20 AM | 36 comments. GO HOKIES!!! Krystian Williams is another who could move around. TSL) is an independent publication that is in no way affiliated with or sponsored by Virginia Tech or the Virginia Tech Athletic Department. All Hokie, All the Time. While Cotman holds a No. Duke, Virginia Tech offer 2025 top-75 QB George MacIntyre. It was a great year for two former Hokies. 57 player in the class at the edge position, 247 has him at No. 2023 Virginia Tech Football Schedule | FBSchedules.com Virginia Tech Football Schedule OVERALL 0-0 ACC 0-0 By purchasing tickets using the affiliate links below, you'll help support. The receiver group rounded out late with the additions out of Tennessee of both Ayden Greene, a one-time Cincinnati commit, and Chance Fitzgerald. 0.8478. 318, DL / But now we got a third guy in the mix. I think they appreciate that were trying to do this with guys from our footprint, and specifically with guys from the state of Virginia. Drones immediately enters the battle for the starting spot, with Wittke, an early commitment from a powerhouse Georgia program in Buford, and Watson, a scintillating late addition out of Massachusetts who flipped from Nebraska earlier this month, getting into the developmental pipeline. We recruit defensive backs. 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.. What we learned about Virginia Tech's Class of 2023 as the early signing period began Wednesday, with 25 prep players and four transfers. There are 25 high school signees, plus four transfer additions. I can see both playing in 2023. (Christian Moss is the only scholarship receiver on the roster whos 6-3.). Lovett and Fleming are also players who had attention from other schools but maintained their pledges to the Hokies. Over the final month heading into the early signing period, Pry picked up commitments from six high school players and four transfers. On Friday, Sierra Canyon (Calif.) four-star small forward AJ . They worked late to flip a couple of players who committed elsewhere and came close. Presented by. 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. It used to be a team would get past the New Year and have a pretty. Virginia Tech added Baylor transfer QB Kyron Drones. 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. 282, RB / - / Will Virginia Tech Soon Break Through In Ohio? There were no last-second decommitments or signing day swings and misses, a welcome change from recent years, and the Hokies even had a few surprises up their sleeves for the public, with a pair of transfers, defensive end Darian Varner and receiver DaQuan Felton, and high school safety Mose Phillips announcing their intentions to sign with Tech on Wednesday. Since the conclusion of the 2022 season, Conner has participated in the 2023 Reese's Senior Bowland has prepared himself for the NFL Combine. His style of play is reminiscent of former Penn . If allowed to develop for two years, Watson could be a terrific college quarterback. 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. The 247Sports' NCAA Transfer Portal Database can be found here. Dec 20, 2022 31 BLACKSBURG, Va. So this is what recruiting momentum feels like? By Bryan D. Manning December 12, 2022. Recruits can send in their National Letter of Intent (NLI) starting at 7 a.m. Well begin providing updates at that time, and well be here all day. 6-2 / 6-2 / For more details about the site, including a list of TechSideline.com staff, see our About page. READ MORE, Ari Watford will be one of the top prospects in the state in the 2025 class. READ MORE, Kentucky tight end Willie Rodriguez has added six scholarship offers since February 1, including an offer from Virginia Tech. 6-1 / Boston College. 16 ranking the state in the 247Sports Composite, making him the top-ranked player from Virginia in the Hokies class, hes much more well-regarded by Rivals, which lists him as a four-star recruit and the No. READ MORE, TechSideline.Com 150. 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. Virginia Tech football is putting a stamp on its 2023 signing class with as good of a finish as you could. And for some of those players, Pry either flipped from other schools or beat some good competition to land those signatures. That quarterback rooms going to look a little different right out of the gate come January 18th, Pry said. Virginia Tech's 2023 National Signing Day class ranks as the sixth best in the ACC according to 247Sports Composite and Rivals. He misses too many tackles due to risky angles and struggles coming to balance in the open field. 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. ** The Early 2023 Signing Day is concluded. Early signing day is Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021. 250, S / This is whats behind it. Its Post Season Accolade Time for the Virginia Tech Hokie Womens Basketball Team. He was a hybrid linebacker-defensive back in both 2019 and 2020, registering a bulk of his . 220, WR / READ MORE, Virginia Tech recently became the fifth program to offer Kentucky wideout receiver Montavin Quisenberry, who has yet to take a visit. More than anything, I think hes going to push these guys on and off the field. What we sold them on is, we dont necessarily recruit just corners and safeties. He is from Maury High School in Norfolk alma mater of Virginia Tech legend Kam Chancellor. Michael Hazel. Visit our message boards:TSL Recruiting Board (TSL Pass)TSL Football Board. There is a lot to like and build on with Virginia Techs 2023 recruiting class. While the Hokies have continued to add players from the NCAA transfer portal . The rest of the commits are in alphabetical order by last name. A ranking of the 2023 Best College Football Players in West Virginia. The Virginia Tech Hokies wrapped up the early signing period last week feeling pretty good about the 2023 recruiting class. 10 ranked all-time Virginia Tech Hokie in career tackles. On Saturday, Conner will complete the drill portion of the NFL Combine with the Bench Press before departing Indianapolis. 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. Virginia Tech missed out on some key in-state linebacker prospects. 12/19/2022. The highly versatile defensive back has played nearly every position in the Hokies' backfield dating back to 2018. 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. #8 Virginia Tech Hokies Dominate Miami to Reach the ACC Tournament Semi-Finals: 68-42. That thing will probably double over the next several days with it officially opening on Monday (December 5). Ultimately, it wasnt enough. 1 player in the state in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports' in-house rankings. But for now, Techs riding some good waves heading into the early signing period that begins Wednesday. We really like the way he rushes the quarterback, Pry said. Hes got all the attributes we were wanting. Those are the rankings to focus on as they combine the different recruiting services. Some of them had other head coaches sitting on their couch in their living room, Hokies coach Brent Pry said. 1 ranked player in Ontario, per 247. Though both are 6-foot-2, joining the 6-5 Felton, getting bigger wasnt necessarily a primary objective of the Hokies coaches. All high school NLIs received are listed below. Caleb Woodson is another who had interest from others. So the investments real. 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. It wouldnt be easy after Justin Fuente ignored the state for years. I think in this cycle, they understand we meant it. The recruiting classes for the champions of both . - / You can win those jump balls, 80-20, is what I call it. You have ball skills, theyre usually pretty quick twitch, the short-area quickness. Obviously, we think our guys can continue to develop, the young guys in our program. 6-2 / In addition to Drones, the Hokies signed two high school quarterbacks, bringing Dylan Wittke and Pop Watson into the fold. "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. @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. Weve got to be better at that position. ", Chamarri Conner Interview on Coverage, Favorite Position, Why he plays Football, Chammari Conner says he met with the Dallas Cowboys, Tuesday, February 28 - Registration, Pre-Exam, Orientation, Team Interviews, Wednesday, March 1 - General Medical Exam, Pre-ordered Studies, Team Interviews, Thursday, March 2 - Orthopedic Examination, Media Interviews, NFLPA Meeting, Team Interviews, Friday, March 3 - Measurements, On-field workout, Saturday, March 4 - Bench Press, Broadcast Interviews, Depart Indianapolis. 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. 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. Virginia Tech is hopeful to get defensive tackle Norell Pollard back too, though nothings been finalized on that front. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. (Courtesy of Virginia Tech Athletics). This site utilizes responsive web design, which renders the site properly on all platforms (PC, tablet, mobile). Lets get to work #NewHome pic.twitter.com/zvIhIcrD1B, Chance Fitzgerald (@itschancefitz) December 16, 2022. The 6-foot 202-pound play-maker has played safety, nickel and cornerback in his Virginia Tech career. Another defensive back: Though Tech did plenty of work restocking the defensive backfield, Pry wants a bridge between the vets and youngsters. Varner has been dealing with a foot injury, but if healthy, he will be Virginia Techs best pass rusher immediately. Theres 80-20 in my room. Stay tuned for updates as Chamarri Conner takes on the 2023 NFL Combine. I had him in an all-star game or I coached him at camp or I went to college with his mom and dad. Those are the relationships that are meaningful, when you can get as much information about a guy to make sure youre taking the right kid, that youre doing the right thing.. 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. The Hokies have veteran Nick Gallo coming back for his final season in 2023, but Wimbush is a boost to the next wave of tight ends/H-backs, someone who looks like he could be more on the playmaking side of the position, capable of doing a variety of things from different parts of the formation. You can access the playlist below, beginning with Dante Lovetts video, and stepping through all 25 videos. The final transfer was speedy 6-foot-4 wide receiver Quan Felton from Norfolk State. READ MORE No. 6-6 / Added to last years haul that included freshman phenom Mansoor Delane and promising youngsters Cam Johnson and Devin Alves, it feels like Tech has set up its secondary for future success better than any other position, particularly when you consider returners like Dorian Strong, Nasir Peoples and Jalen Stroman. 5-10 / Jennings and Felton help remake a receiver room that added seven new players in all Wednesday, shoring up a group that lost last years leading pass-catcher Kaleb Smith to Notre Dame. Chance Fitzgerald and Ayden Greene were late additions as the Hokies had to beat out some good programs to land both. 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. One concern for the Hokies is they didnt do enough on the defensive line. LB. Baylor is from Radford, and his combination of size and speed is exciting. All signing day graphics are by Giovanni Heater, and all signing day videos were produced by Nick Brown. 61 receiver, coming off a season in which he had 85 catches for 1,268 yards and 14 TDs for Nolensville (Tenn.) High. Thats always the million-dollar question with recruiting, where signing day stars have a short shelf life and can look quaint once these players have had a few years to develop or, in the transfer portal age, pack up and go somewhere else to finish their career. 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. Felton is from Portsmouth. 6-1 / - 12/6, Pheldarius Payne - Defensive End (per Andy Bitter), Mario Kendricks - Defensive Tackle (per Andy Bitter), Jalen Holston Running Back (No NCAA eligibility remaining), Jaylen Griffin - Defensive End (No NCAA eligibility remaining), Silas Dzansi - Offensive Line (No NCAA eligibility remaining), Ali Jennings - Wide Receiver - Old Dominion, Griffin Armstrong - Long Snapper - Louisiana Tech* Walk-on, Quan Felton - Wide Receiver - Norfolk State, Jaylin Lane - Wide Receiver - Middle Tennessee State, Derrick Canteen - Cornerback - Georgia Southern, Bhayshul Tuten - Running Back - North Carolina A&T. 6-3 / 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. . (Top photo: Courtesy of Virginia Tech Athletics). 210, IOL / READ MORE, Virginia Tech signed JUCO defensive end James Jennette on Wednesday, per his announcement on social media. Joe Spears 01/23/23. 243, IOL / 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. 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. 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. Drones has three years of eligibility remaining. 197, QB / 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. Editor. The Virginia Tech Hokies wrapped up the early signing period last week feeling pretty good about the 2023 recruiting class. 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. 623 55 9. While On3 rates him as the No. Presented by, 2024 tight end Cameron Clark took his first visit to Virginia Tech in late January after picking up a December offer. Antonio Cotman was a late flip from Boston College. Felton is a big-play guy who, along with Jennings, gives the Hokies two quality veterans to line up outside in 2023. Duke is next. 207, TE / 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. While he may not stick at corner, he could make an impact at safety or linebacker, depending on how much size he adds. They can do a lot of different things with their bodies, so having those qualities is a plus for me.