BLACKSBURG, Va. — So this is what recruiting momentum feels like?
Virginia Tech football is putting a stamp on its 2023 signing class with as good of a finish as you could have asked for from head coach Brent Pry in his first real recruiting cycle.
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 Tech’s class — receivers Chance Fitzgerald (2) and Ayden Greene (3), cornerback Antonio Cotman Jr. (5) and quarterback Pop Watson (6).
Let’s get to work‼️ #NewHome pic.twitter.com/zvIhIcrD1B
— Chance Fitzgerald (@itschancefitz) December 16, 2022
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. It’s the second consecutive season Tech has been ranked in that neighborhood after middling to forgettable classes in 2021 (44th) and 2020 (76th).
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How long has it been since the Hokies have had these kinds of feel-good vibes around signing day?
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.
Tech had what turned out to be faux momentum following significant coaching staff turnover as the 2020 class wound down, with high-end defensive signees that year Alec Bryant, Robert Wooten and Justin Beadles all transferring out after a season (though O-line mainstay Kaden Moore came on board in December that cycle, flipping from Bowling Green).
The 2019 class was punctuated by offensive lineman Doug Nester’s signing day flip from Ohio State in February, though that joy was erased years later by his transfer to West Virginia.
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 Fuente’s tenure.
Will these recent good fortunes pay off down the line? That’s 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.
But for now, Tech’s riding some good waves heading into the early signing period that begins Wednesday. 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. He’s the first tight end/H-back in the class after Tech took three last year — Dae’Quan Wright, Harrison Saint Germain and Gosnell.
Im home!!! @CoachPryVT @TylerBowen @CoachShawnQuinn @HokiesFB pic.twitter.com/tCR903bBkM
— Zeke Wimbush (@zekewimbush7) December 19, 2022
Wimbush did a bit of everything last year for Stone Bridge, sometimes playing quarterback and sometimes lining up out wide. He had 729 passing yards and 12 touchdowns, 840 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns and 17 catches for 338 yards and three touchdowns, showing plenty of athletic chops for someone his size.
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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.
• Cotman was the latest defensive player the Hokies snagged. He committed on Sunday, three days after he decommitted from Boston College and a day after an official visit in Blacksburg. 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 Cotman holds a No. 16 ranking the state in the 247Sports Composite, making him the top-ranked player from Virginia in the Hokies’ class, he’s much more well-regarded by Rivals, which lists him as a four-star recruit and the No. 4 player in the state. (On3 ranks him 33rd, bringing down his average.)
The Hokies have not had many top-five in-state signees in any of the major recruiting sites lately, so Cotman’s addition is welcomed. The last Tech signee ranked that high came in 2019 when wide receiver Jaden Payoute was a consensus top-five recruit in the state and fellow receiver Tayvion Robinson cracked the top five on Rivals. 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.
It’s been a while since Tech had an All-ACC caliber player who was a consensus top-five in-state prospect. The last one who fit the bill was defensive tackle Tim Settle from the 2015 class.
🦃🦃🦃 @CoachPryVT @coachscott33 @BappNAinEZBino @adamgorney @RivalsFriedman @EdOBrienCFB pic.twitter.com/SrtfDYNLja
— Antonio Hazen Cotman Jr. (@CotmanHazen) December 18, 2022
• Cotman’s addition bolsters what’s turning into a pretty good haul in the secondary for the Hokies. 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. (D-lineman Rashaud Pernell signed but did not enroll, ending up at Liberty.)
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This year’s class is loading up on defensive backs. While there’s always positional flexibility to consider with many of these athlete types coming in, particularly with the Hokies’ need for offensive playmakers, it’s not far-fetched to see a DB class that includes Cotman, Cameren Fleming, Braylon Johnson, Thomas Williams and Dante Lovett. Jonathan Pennix and Krystian Williams are athletes who could start out on either side of the ball. Caleb Woodson is listed as a safety on some sites, though at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds already he’s more likely to grow into a linebacker.
Added to last year’s 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.
• Fitzgerald was the most recent offensive addition, committing to the Hokies on Friday. He’s the No. 455 player nationally and No. 61 receiver, coming off a season in which he had 85 catches for 1,268 yards and 14 TDs for Nolensville (Tenn.) High. Michigan, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma had shown interest in him.
He has good size for a receiver at 6-foot-3, 184 pounds. And while we’ll see if he’s actually that big — listed heights and weights on recruiting sites are hardly unimpeachable — it’s a body type Tech’s lacking now that Kaleb Smith is in the transfer portal. (Christian Moss is the only scholarship receiver on the roster who’s 6-3.)
That’s two receiver additions from Tennessee this month, with the Hokies also landing Greene, a former Cincinnati commit, who’s from Powell, just outside of Knoxville. Add in Jennings out of ODU and it’s been a very good month for receivers coach Fontel Mines.
• While it’s unclear how many of the soon-to-be signees will get on the field early, it’s clear from the Hokies’ recent push that they’re focusing on reshaping the offense, particularly the receiver room. Here are Tech’s offensive additions in the past two weeks:
QB: Drones (transfer), Watson (HS)
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RB: Jeremiah Coney (HS)
WR: Jennings (transfer), Fitzgerald (HS), Greene (HS)
TE: Wimbush (HS)
Since the end of the season, seven of the eight commitments the Hokies have gotten either from the transfer portal or the high school ranks have been on offense, which makes sense, given Tech’s struggles on that side of the ball last season.
• 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.
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. Receiver Cole Beck, defensive tackles Norell Pollard and Mario Kendricks and defensive end Pheldarius Payne could also come back for another season.
In addition to some final high school targets, the Hokies are still pursuing several transfers — Temple defensive lineman Darian Varner and Norfolk State receiver Da’Quan 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.
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 numbers always work out (funny how that happens), but it’s clear that this is a pretty substantial overhaul to last year’s roster. Nine scholarship players have already gone into the portal. In order to get under the limit with all the players the Hokies still hope to land or could pursue in the future, it wouldn’t be surprising if that number doubles by the end of spring.
(Photo of Brent Pry: Reinhold Matay / USA Today)
