He was a hybrid linebacker-defensive back in both 2019 and 2020, registering a bulk of his . Email Address. Later on Friday afternoon at 3 P.M., Conner will participate in the Defensive Back drills. I dont want somebody thats afraid of competition. Over the final month heading into the early signing period, Pry picked up commitments from six high school players and four transfers. Michigan, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma had shown interest in him. Signed Letter of Intent (15) Pos Ht / Wt Rating Status Chance Fitzgerald Nolensville (Nolensville, TN) Drones was a hot commodity and gives the Hokies and offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen the type of passer who can run his offense; that should be RPO-heavy. Last year, the Hokies beefed up on both lines, signing 12 players who played in the trenches. Findlayter is the No. You can win those jump balls, 80-20, is what I call it. 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. He and Drones struck up a fast relationship during their visit, and both committed. I also wouldnt be shocked if Pry looks for a defensive tackle via the transfer portal. I really like this group. He was a hybrid linebacker-defensive back in both 2019 and 2020, registering a bulk of his time at the coined 'Whip' position. Im home!!! 1 wide receiver for the Hokies and a four-star transfer. Theres no such thing as 50-50. 6-6.5 / 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. 61 receiver, coming off a season in which he had 85 catches for 1,268 yards and 14 TDs for Nolensville (Tenn.) High. 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. 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. READ MORE, Virginia Tech signed JUCO defensive end James Jennette on Wednesday, per his announcement on social media. 305, DL / 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. 220, WR / Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. Spring practice updates Recruiting news NFL Draft . 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. Watsons size was a detriment to some, but turn on the film, and you see an electric runner with a strong arm. Visit our message boards:TSL Recruiting Board (TSL Pass)TSL Football Board. - / Executive Assistant to the Head Coach. Meanwhile, guys like Heath, Pennix and Marcell Baylor showed plenty of versatility in high school, excelling on both sides of the ball. While no one will confuse Virginia Tech's incoming class with Alabama . Obviously, we think our guys can continue to develop, the young guys in our program. He is from Maury High School in Norfolk alma mater of Virginia Tech legend Kam Chancellor. 5-10 / 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. 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. New Nebraska coach Matt Rhule made a show of making his first offer on the job to cornerback Dante Lovett. 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. -, QB / Virginia Tech's 2023 National Signing Day class ranks as the sixth best in the ACC according to 247Sports Composite and Rivals. Offensive lineman Lance Williams, a Tennessee Mr. Football for his classification, was the first commitment in the class from Alcoa, south of Knoxville. Tight end Nick Gallo, linebacker Alan Tisdale and safety Nasir Peoples had previously announced theyd come back. READ MORE, Virginia Tech hosted arguably the top prospect in the state of Virginia last weekend for their second Junior Day event. He can be a power runner pretty early in his Virginia Tech career. However, Aycen Stevens is a name to know. And for some of those players, Pry either flipped from other schools or beat some good competition to land those signatures. 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. But now we got a third guy in the mix. 300, LB / He misses too many tackles due to risky angles and struggles coming to balance in the open field. For more details about the site, including a list of TechSideline.com staff, see our About page. 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. Several schools out there went hard after a few Hokies commitments. Its been a while since Tech had an All-ACC caliber player who was a consensus top-five in-state prospect. Hailing from north of Charlotte . - / 310, LB / 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. Both Greene (1,127 yards, 19 TDs) and Fitzgerald (1,348 yards, 18 TDs) had monster senior seasons and could have the size to factor in right away. Add in Jennings out of ODU and its been a very good month for receivers coach Fontel Mines. Hammer plays at North Cross in Roanoke. Virginia Tech is hopeful to get defensive tackle Norell Pollard back too, though nothings been finalized on that front. Krystian Williams Collegiate School (Richmond, VA) 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. 1. 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. 190, DL / Welcome to Virginia Tech Football Recruiting Signing Day Central for the Class of 2023. And you want guys that want to compete. 305, / All Hokie, All the Time. Receiver and ACC champion sprinter Cole Beck will run track again this spring, then see how things how shake out before a determination is made about his football career. 180, QB / Jennings is an instant No. Virginia Tech football is putting a stamp on its 2023 signing class with as good of a finish as you could. Once commits sign their NLIs to the Hokies, they will have a green check next to their name in the table below and move to the top of the list. 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. You can access the playlist below, beginning with Dante Lovetts video, and stepping through all 25 videos. 5-10 / 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. 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. All original material and images are copyrighted by TechSideline.com and may not be reused or reprinted without permission. Below is a graphical representation of how our formula works. We want to reach out and make sure you hear it from us first. The 6-foot 202-pound play-maker has played safety, nickel and cornerback in his Virginia Tech career. -, S / 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. (Courtesy of Virginia Tech Athletics). READ MORE, TechSideline.Com 2023 Virginia Tech Athletics - All Rights Reserved. All signing day graphics are by Giovanni Heater, and all signing day videos were produced by Nick Brown. 206, WR / The speed and pattern matchingarentgreat, but the ball skills are above average. By Bryan D. Manning @BryanDManning. 6-2 / We know all of these guys have the ability to cover.. Period. In this article, we'll analyze some overall thoughts about the class from head coach Brent . 240. READ MORE, Alex Taylor has made multiple trips to Virginia Tech, and recently included the Hokies in his top seven schools. Coney could also play linebacker, but it sounds like the plan is to stick in the backfield. He finishes in the record-book as the No. Virginia Tech added Baylor transfer QB Kyron Drones. The secondary class is a fun group. 282, RB / (Jerome Miron / USA Today), Twenty-nine players signed with the Hokies on Wednesday. 220, OT / And Florida State made a late push for linebacker Caleb Woodson. Let's take a closer look at who visited. This years class is loading up on defensive backs. 6-1 / Try a week on us. 230, LB / 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. There is still work to do in Northern Virginia and the 757, but Pry and his staff are off to a terrific start. We've got a lot of those conversations, I think I've got 33 or 34 meetings scheduled over the next couple of days.". He has good size for a receiver at 6-foot-3, 184 pounds. Lets break down Techs high-school class by position: Watson was a late flip and has a chance to be Virginia Techs successor to Drones if things go according to plan. 231-4132. 6 Virginia at North Carolina, Highlights: No. And I believe we can win an ACC championship with this formula. 236, RB / Dante Lovett and Cameren Fleming were two of my favorites in this class. In addition to Drones, the Hokies signed two high school quarterbacks, bringing Dylan Wittke and Pop Watson into the fold. 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. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use. 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. Welcome to Virginia Tech Football Recruiting Signing Day Central for the Class of 2023. 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. Heath looks like a future star. 5-10 / READ MORE, Kyron Drones is a quarterback transfer from Baylor who got meaningful snaps in one game for the Bears. 310. READ MORE No. The 2019 class was punctuated by offensive lineman Doug Nesters signing day flip from Ohio State in February, though that joy was erased years later by his transfer to West Virginia. Virginia Tech football knows its 2023 schedule. Felton is a big-play guy who, along with Jennings, gives the Hokies two quality veterans to line up outside in 2023. Hes got all the attributes we were wanting. Thomas Williams is a sensational athlete and could also figure into the mix here. 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. The Hokies signed 25 players last week and could sign a few more before national signing day in February. 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. In the composite rankings, Adams is. READ MORE, Virginia Tech was the first P5 program to offer Ohio offensive lineman Jake Wheelock, and he will visit Blacksburg this weekend. 788 37 8. TechSideline.com (a.k.a. READ MORE, Ari Watford will be one of the top prospects in the state in the 2025 class. Felton is from Portsmouth. Buy Tickets Opens in new window. 300, S / By Tim Weaver | February 27, 2023 1:37 pm ET. Ishmael Findlayter, Linebacker: Tavorian Copeland, Aycen Stevens. 200, IOL / Hes a leader. The NFL Combine runs from Tuesday, February 28 through Monday, March 6. How long has it been since the Hokies have had these kinds of feel-good vibes around signing day? 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. READ MORE 185, RB / 6-0 / The Hokies now have six confirmed seniors who are taking advantage of their additional year of eligibility from the COVID-19 season. Virginia Tech. With a Burst of Energy, Brent Pry Throws All-Out Blitz at Virginia's Recruiting Trails. 1 ranked player in Ontario, per 247. 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. 197, QB / 5-9 / I truly think hes undervalued and becomes a good player for the Hokies early in his career. 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. Area Code 540. 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. It was a great year for two former Hokies. 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. Virginia. 6-6 / He will start somewhere in Virginia Techs secondary for multiple seasons. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You have ball skills, theyre usually pretty quick twitch, the short-area quickness. Tech landed Kyron Drones on the transfer market, a former four-star QB who spent the past two seasons with Baylor. Overall, the Hokies signed 13 players from Virginia, and three of the four transfers are from the Commonwealth. 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. Early signing day is Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021. Pennix is another local standout from Appomattox. Editor. All four have legit size and Ghannam could play early in his career. 6-1 / He is another player who was undervalued. The plans are for him to go on scholarship in January of 2024, though how the numbers shake out could push up those plans. Early signing day is Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. This site utilizes responsive web design, which renders the site properly on all platforms (PC, tablet, mobile). CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Conners size and versatility could buy him time on a roster, but he might need to keep fighting for his spot. Nationally, the Hokies' class has peaked at No. - / Note: We are told that Ezekiel Wimbush, previously listed as a commitment, is currently preferred walk-on status. While its unclear how many of the soon-to-be signees will get on the field early, its clear from the Hokies recent push that theyre focusing on reshaping the offense, particularly the receiver room. Stay tuned for updates as Chamarri Conner takes on the 2023 NFL Combine. Thanks for the effort, fellas! The good thing about that position is they have the same qualities, Mines said. Be sure to follow our coverage of National Signing Day on Twitter:Tech Sideline,Chris Coleman,Will Stewartand David Cunningham. 6-4 / Jonathan Pennix and Krystian Williams are athletes who could start out on either side of the ball.