When James Franklin was at Penn State, he was a recruiting machine when it came to high school recruits. He routinely came into the DMV and Virginia to pluck the area's top recruits. Virginia Tech fans are hoping he can do the same now that he's in Blacksburg.
Franklin has said that it is going to take the Transfer Portal and high school recruiting to build up the Virginia Tech roster as he gets going for next year and beyond. He made a major push this past weekend by getting dozens of recruits on campus for the game against Miami. Some of the recruits are Penn State commits and de-commits who Franklin is hoping to bring with him to Blacksburg. Here are three recruits who could be the first to commit to the Hokies' new coach.
Messiah Mickens
After visiting this past weekend, multiple Rivals reporters logged predictions for running back Messiah Mickens to commit to Franklin at Virginia Tech. A four-star back, he originally had a final 3 of Indiana, Oklahoma, and Ole Miss before visiting over the weekend.
Virginia Tech has some promising young backs, including Jeffrey Overton, Jr., who Franklin should make a priority to retain from this year's team. Adding Mickens would give them another talented young back for next season. Oklahoma picked up a commitment from Jonathan Hatton Jr., which helps the Hokies in terms of Mickens.
Pierce Petersohn
Four-star tight end Pierce Petersohn committed to Franklin back in June at Penn State and is still committed even after Franklin was fired. Penn State is still without a coach, and while still committed, Petersohn has been heavily recruited by other schools. He was another visitor over the weekend at Virginia Tech.
247Sports has logged multiple Crystal Ball predictions for Petersohn to flip his commitment to Virginia Tech and Franklin. The Minnesota native would be a huge addition, and tight end commitments have been few and far between at Virginia Tech over the seasons. This would be a massive flip to get.
Roseby Lubintus
Offensive tackle Roseby Lubintus flipped his commitment from Penn State to Syracuse over the summer. In October, he de-committed from the Organe and reopened his recruiting. The 6-foot-5, 330-pound Lubintus was another former Franklin recruit who was on campus over the weekend for a visit.
Multiple Crystal Ball predictions have been logged by 247Sports for the New Jersey native to commit to Virginia Tech. Lubintus holds over a dozen offers, and with early-signing day a couple of weeks away, he is expected to make a decision soon so he can sign. This would be a big addition for Franklin and his new staff.