North Carolina was all over cornerback Cam Fleming in the final two weeks. Over the final month heading into the early signing period, Pry picked up commitments from six high school players and four transfers. 300, LB / He'll visit Blacksburg for Junior Day next weekend. Watsons size was a detriment to some, but turn on the film, and you see an electric runner with a strong arm. quarterback Kyron Drones and receiver Ali Jennings III. The plans are for him to go on scholarship in January of 2024, though how the numbers shake out could push up those plans. It shows that theyll block and find ways to contribute to the team.. HokieHaven Nationally, the Hokies' class has peaked at No. 6-3 / Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. That thing will probably double over the next several days with it officially opening on Monday (December 5). The Hokies signed 25 players last week and could sign a few more before national signing day in February. Virginia Tech's 2023 National Signing Day class ranks as the sixth best in the ACC according to 247Sports Composite and Rivals. Virginia Tech football recruiting: Four-star RB Ramon Brown commits to What we sold them on is, we dont necessarily recruit just corners and safeties. 6-1 / 191, RB / The numbers always work out (funny how that happens), but its clear that this is a pretty substantial overhaul to last years roster. In this article, we'll analyze some overall thoughts about the class from head coach Brent . Its been a while since Tech had an All-ACC caliber player who was a consensus top-five in-state prospect. 237, WR / Cotman was the latest defensive player the Hokies snagged. 455 player nationally and No. Conner has played in 61 games, starting every game over the last four seasons. 197, QB / Virginia Tech is hopeful to get defensive tackle Norell Pollard back too, though nothings been finalized on that front. The Hokies signed pairs of players from two state powerhouse high schools: Highland Springs (safety Braylon Johnson and receiver Takye Heath) and Appomattox (receiver Jonathan Pennix and linebacker Tavorian Copeland). -, CB / Virginia Tech Hokies Defensive Back Chamarri Conneris participating in the 2023 NFL Combine, looking to boost his stock ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft. 623 55 9. 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. There are 25 high school signees, plus four transfer additions. Welcome to Virginia Tech Football Recruiting Signing Day Central for the Class of 2023. Virginia Tech Hokies Football, Basketball, and Recruiting The Virginia Tech Hokies wrapped up the early signing period last week feeling pretty good about the 2023 recruiting class. All original material and images are copyrighted by TechSideline.com and may not be reused or reprinted without permission. (Jerome Miron / USA Today), Twenty-nine players signed with the Hokies on Wednesday. The y-axis in this graph represents the percentage weight of the score that gets applied to an overall team ranking. Receiver Cole Beck, defensive tackles Norell Pollard and Mario Kendricks and defensive end Pheldarius Payne could also come back for another season. The 6-foot 202-pound play-maker has played safety, nickel and cornerback in his Virginia Tech career. Thats not to say the Hokies landed top local talent, as ranked by the recruiting sites, in Virginia. READ MORE, TechSideline.Com 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. Dante Lovett and Cameren Fleming were two of my favorites in this class. And I think he has a chip on his shoulder. 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. It just so happened to fall in place that we kind of killed two birds with one stone. 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. I really like this group. Grant Wells did not have a good initial season in Blacksburg, but in reality, he was the Hokies' best option . 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. Football Nov 25 TBA. Virginia Tech added Baylor transfer QB Kyron Drones. 5-11 / 6-5 / In his junior highlight tape, he flashes some burst and athleticism. Stay tuned for updates as Chamarri Conner takes on the 2023 NFL Combine. Theres 80-20 in my room. Bodie Kahoun recently picked up an offer from Virginia Tech, and the Roanoke native will be in Blacksburg tonight. 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. - / HokieHaven - New Virginia Tech football offer: Deuce Walker And I believe we can win an ACC championship with this formula. Takye Heath is a player to watch. 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. The 6-foot-1 wide receiver has over 20 scholarship offers and is the No. Virginia Tech football recruiting: Hokies land another offensive line Note: We are told that Ezekiel Wimbush, previously listed as a commitment, is currently preferred walk-on status. Virginia Tech football: Hokies hosting a big recruit this weekend 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. READ MORE, Despite being a UVA legacy, Grant Karczewski will walk-on at Virginia Tech after specific advice from his parents. I love to see receivers play defense, especially in high school, show some physicality, show that theyll play on special teams. 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. One concern for the Hokies is they didnt do enough on the defensive line. 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. The Hokies have 15 players who will enroll in January, with 11 from the high school ranks and all four the transfers. Virginia Tech Football Class of 2023 Signing Day Central If allowed to develop for two years, Watson could be a terrific college quarterback. Cornerback: Dante Lovett, Cameren Fleming, Antonio Cotman Jr. Safety: Mose Phillips, Braylon Johnson, Caleb Woodson, Athlete: Thomas Williams, Jonathan Pennix, Tralon Mitchell. Eligible to return for a super-senior season (awaiting decision). 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. "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. Football Dec 2 TBA. 6-3 / 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. He has that mentality to play this position at a high level.. More than anything, we wanted to get guys who had good production, 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. 215, QB / I thought it was tough when we got Jason (Brown) and Grant last year at the same time. All three will enroll in January, adding some juice to spring ball at the position. Tight end Nick Gallo, linebacker Alan Tisdale and safety Nasir Peoples had previously announced theyd come back. 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. I think thats definitely going to help us on the perimeter, being longer, being faster and being more consistent.. I dont want somebody thats afraid of competition. 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. READ MORE, Within 10 minutes, 4-star linebacker Gabriel Williams had received a text message from nearly every member of Virginia Techs coaching staff. GO HOKIES!!! 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. On Saturday, Conner will complete the drill portion of the NFL Combine with the Bench Press before departing Indianapolis. 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. Drones has three years of eligibility remaining. Ishmael Findlayter, Linebacker: Tavorian Copeland, Aycen Stevens. By: Joe Lanza. 1. 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. 6-2 / Privacy Policy | Terms of Use. He was a hybrid linebacker-defensive back in both 2019 and 2020, registering a bulk of his . He has good size for a receiver at 6-foot-3, 184 pounds. . Our Signing Day 2023 coverage is presented by: We uploaded one-minute long videos for each recruit to a playlist on YouTube. 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. QB. 6-6 / Its there. 195, CB / 0.8478. Krystian Williams is another who could move around. Krystian Williams Collegiate School (Richmond, VA) HokieHaven Its the second consecutive season Tech has been ranked in that neighborhood after middling to forgettable classes in 2021 (44th) and 2020 (76th). With a Burst of Energy, Brent Pry Throws All-Out Blitz at Virginia's Recruiting Trails. 240. READ MORE, With the 2023 Virginia Tech recruiting class now complete, it's time to assign our star ratings using the half-star system. I think hes proven. GO HOKIES!!! Since the conclusion of the 2022 season, Conner has participated in the 2023 Reese's Senior Bowland has prepared himself for the NFL Combine. 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. 230, CB / This is whats behind it. William Watson III Springfield Central (Springfield, MA) 6-0 / 175. 6-4 / 5-10 / READ MORE No. Competition at quarterback. READ MORE, Ari Watford will be one of the top prospects in the state in the 2025 class. Virginia Tech Football Class of 2022 Signing Day Central - TechSideline.com 6-0 / Varner is a 6-foot-2, 280-pound first-team All-AAC pick from Temple, where he had 7.5 sacks last year. Find the latest updates on Virginia Tech's roster below. Weve got to be better at that position. Executive Assistant to the Head Coach. 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. Obviously, we think our guys can continue to develop, the young guys in our program. They include: A defensive end: With Varner likely to play tackle, Tech has a need on the edge, especially with last years top pass rusher, TyJuan Garbutt, graduating. 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.. 250, S / Lovett and Fleming are also players who had attention from other schools but maintained their pledges to the Hokies. READ MORE, Bodie Kahoun recently picked up an offer from Virginia Tech, and the Roanoke native will be in Blacksburg tonight. 220, WR / Its not easy, Pry said of the juggling act of adding three quarterbacks in a class. In order to get under the limit with all the players the Hokies still hope to land or could pursue in the future, it wouldnt be surprising if that number doubles by the end of spring. But now we got a third guy in the mix. Welcome to Virginia Tech Football Recruiting Signing Day Central for the Class of 2023. READ MORE, Kentucky tight end Willie Rodriguez has added six scholarship offers since February 1, including an offer from Virginia Tech. 5-9 / While no one will confuse Virginia Techs incoming class with Alabama or Ohio State, there were many encouraging signs in head coach Brent Prys first full recruiting class. 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. Related: Virginia Tech DB Chamarri Conner receives a pre-Combine draft score. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. While Cotman holds a No. 57 player in the class at the edge position, 247 has him at No. Be sure to follow our coverage of National Signing Day on Twitter:Tech Sideline,Chris Coleman,Will Stewartand David Cunningham. In addition to Drones, the Hokies signed two high school quarterbacks, bringing Dylan Wittke and Pop Watson into the fold. The final transfer was speedy 6-foot-4 wide receiver Quan Felton from Norfolk State. Hes confident. And I tell the staff all the time: Nobody can know more about the kids in Virginia than us.. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Prys focus upon his hiring was to rebuild relationships within the Commonwealth. Caleb Woodson is another who had interest from others. Another outstanding prospect from Highland Springs, Heath is electric and could figure into the mix in 2023 as a slot receiver. 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. Buy Tickets Opens in new window. Visit our message boards:TSL Recruiting Board (TSL Pass)TSL Football Board. He misses too many tackles due to risky angles and struggles coming to balance in the open field. Early signing day is Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. Highlights: No. ** The Early 2023 Signing Day is concluded. It wouldnt be easy after Justin Fuente ignored the state for years. Im home!!! 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. 6-5 / VTScoop - Virginia Tech Hokies Football Recruiting READ MORE, Virginia Tech recently became the fifth program to offer Kentucky wideout receiver Montavin Quisenberry, who has yet to take a visit. Well have a good look at things this spring.. We really like the way he rushes the quarterback, Pry said. READ MORE, Virginia Tech signed JUCO defensive end James Jennette on Wednesday, per his announcement on social media. 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.. Try a week on us. Thomas Williams is a sensational athlete and could also figure into the mix here. 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. Virginia Tech Football Recruiting Virginia Tech football: Hokies land 4-star JUCO pass-rusher James Jennette Jennette is a promising edge rusher. Hailing from north of Charlotte . It helps the quarterback not have to be as accurate. All four have legit size and Ghannam could play early in his career. 6-6 / Virginia Tech football commits Thomas Williams, Misun Kelley to bring Virginia Tech Releases 2023 Football Schedule The Hokies wanted to add talent to the wide receiver position, and they certainly did. 205, CB / All Hokie, All the Time. - / Hes going to make us better. 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. TechSideline.com (a.k.a. Thanks for the effort, fellas! Early signing day is Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. 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. 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. 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. Its infectious, Pry said. READ MORE, Thomas Dale 2025 athlete Shamari Earls recently picked up an offer from Virginia Tech, and he will visit next month. Period. Felton is a big-play guy who, along with Jennings, gives the Hokies two quality veterans to line up outside in 2023. 6-2 / 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. 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. READ MORE, In-state cornerback Joshua Clarke has visited Virginia Tech six times, and he's close to narrowing his list.