It can't be stated enough, James Franklin at Virginia Tech is going to cause nightmares for Virginia coach Tony Elliott and the rest of the ACC.
Franklin hasn't even coached a game on the field yet, and he is already winning when it comes to recruiting. You knew that was going to happen when he was hired in November, and recruiting has been a strength, both with high school and through the Transfer Portal.
It was evident when he was fired, and he flipped several Penn State recruits to Blacksburg in the Class of 2026, then he has been on a recruiting heater with some of his assistants over the last month-plus with the Class of 2027. His success hit a new level on Saturday afternoon when he got a commitment from an in-state recruit.
Virginia Tech gets commitment from Class of 2027 TE Sam Faniel
New Hokies offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Ty Howle followed Franklin to Virginia Tech. The work they did with tight ends at Penn State speaks for itself. Over the last month, Howle picked up a pair of commitments from tight ends Braxton Salster from Alabama and, recently, Jordan Karhoff from Columbus, Ohio.
There were no big additions, but Franklin needs to hit it big recruiting in the Commonwealth, and he took a step toward doing that on Saturday. Virginia Tech picked up a commitment from three-star tight end Sam Faniel. According to 247Sports, he has a rating of 89 and is knocking on the door of a fourth star. He is the No. 10 player in the state of Virginia and the 24th-ranked tight end in his class.
The Richmond native who plays at Benedictine High School picked the Hokies over several SEC schools, Penn State, and ACC schools, North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, and Florida State. According to David Cunnigham of Tech Sideline, Faniel had visits scheduled to Texas A&M and Alabama. Again, the tight end position is going to be one that looks different to Virginia Tech under Franklin and Howle.
This is the latest addition to a class that is quickly inching closer to being a Top 10 class around the country. Fans are going to love the use of the tight end under Franklin and Howle, beginning this season with Penn State transfer Luke Reynolds.
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