When it comes to recruiting as of late for James Franklin and Virginia Tech, it has been rather quiet after he went on a major heater this spring. From late April, through May and into June, the first-year Hokies head coach and his staff racked up the commitments in the Class of 2027, including a flip from Notre Dame to Virginia Tech.
Tight end is still a need going forward for the Hokies and Franklin in the class, but on the defensive side of the ball, Franklin has been building a nice class for defensive coordinator Brent Pry. All eyes are slowly turning to the 2026 campaign for Virginia Tech, with what is going to happen on the field, but there are still some recruiting decisions that are hanging in the balance.
One of those commitments came early on Saturday afternoon when three-star safety James Branch announced his decision, which came down to Maryland, Virginia Tech, Auburn, and Stanford. James Franklin has had a lot of success recruiting in the Baltimore area during his time at Penn State, and there were a couple of Branch's teammates currently at St. Frances Academy committed to the Hokies. However, that didn't make a difference when push came to shove, and it was time to make his commitment.
Four-star safety James Branch commits to Auburn over Virginia Tech and other schools
This came down to Auburn, Virginia Tech, and Maryland, but Branch decided to stay closer to home and play for the Tigers in the SEC. Going into his decision, the thought was that he was going to end up at Maryland, but in a surprising turn, he's heading to Auburn.
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
— Jeffrey Lee (@JLeeAUSports) July 11, 2026
St. Frances (Baltimore, Md.) safety James Branch has committed to Auburn.
He is the 26th commitment in Auburn's 2027 class and fourth from Maryland.
STORY: https://t.co/GQBiWyBM91 pic.twitter.com/51rxQd917b
Currently committed to Virginia Tech are Branch's teammates, defensive lineman Alexander Taylor and cornerback Elijah Butler. Also signed back in December was cornerback Amauri Polydor.
The Hokies' current class has Chase Johnson (cornerback), Austin Barrett (cornerback), and Bryce Woods (cornerback), along with Butler, committed in the secondary for Pry. There are still some more commitments on the horizon for Franklin this summer before the focus shifts to the Class of 2028.
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