Elite Class of 2027 safety keeps Virginia Tech firmly in the mix with latest top 7

When James Franklin was at Penn State, he nailed recruiting in the state of Pennsylvania. He also had a ton of success in the DMV, which he should still do now that he's at Virginia Tech.

After he was fired from Penn State in mid-October, several of his commits de-committed from the Nittany Lions. In the Class of 2026, he had nearly a dozen of his Penn State commits flip to Virginia Tech to follow him and a handful of coaches to Blacksburg.

In the Class of 2027, Franklin had some players de-commit who previously committed to him. One player he got a commitment from was the No. 5-ranked recruit in Pennsylvania, safety Gabe Jenkins. After Franklin was fired, Jenkins was the latest to de-commit from Penn State to reopen his recruitment. The next couple of months are going to be busy for Jenkins as he has narrowed his list to seven schools, and he's scheduling visits. Virginia Tech made the cut and is expected to host him next month.

Virginia Tech makes top 7 for elite Class of 2027 safety Gabe Jenkins

Jenkins recently released his top 7 schools to Rivals, and Virginia Tech was in the mix. It's not surprising, given Jenkins already gave his commitment once to Franklin in State College. However, Franklin appears to be back on him at his new job, along with defensive coordinator Brent Pry.

Jenkins is going to take his time before committing again. He has a visit scheduled to Lincoln Riley and USC this upcoming weekend, before a visit on March 14 to Colorado with Deion Sanders. He'll visit UCLA on April 4, then make an unofficial visit to Virginia Tech on April 11. He'll visit Michigan on April 18 and Penn State on April 23, despite de-committing from the Nittany Lions. He has a June 6 official visit scheduled at Penn State.

Jenkins has also picked up offers recently from Florida State, Baylor, and Nebraska. It will be interesting if he schedules an official visit to Virginia Tech after his stop in April.