Scroll through social media, and you'll get mixed reactions as to whether or not high school recruiting matters. Some fanbases, especially those that struggle to recruit high school players, say it's more important to recruit through the portal than to recruit high school players.
Meanwhile, recruiting has been booming across the country with some of the top programs. When it comes to Virginia Tech and recruiting, well, it was a struggle in recent years. Under Justin Fuente and Brent Pry, it was a struggle. More so, Fuente, who burned a lot of bridges in the Commonwealth, where some of the top programs in the country would come in and pluck some of the top recruits, had to offer.
To Pry's credit, he did the best he could to mend those broken relationships and change the narrative, some in recruiting in Virginia. When he was the defensive coordinator under James Franklin at Penn State, he would come into Virginia and push for the top players without much resistance from Fuente.
Last September, Virginia Tech decided to move on from Pry after a 0-3 start and an embarrassing loss at home under the lights to Old Dominion. A few weeks later, little did anyone know that their next coach would become available when Penn State fired James Franklin. Virginia Tech's search committee narrowed in on Franklin; it was James Franklin or bust. Once he was hired, you knew there were going to be some big changes, and those big changes are well underway.
Virginia Tech continues to soar 247Sports Class of 2027 recruiting rankings
Over the last month, Franklin has been on a recruiting heater. He is building a talented roster on the offensive side of the ball with his staff. It started in April and has continued into May. After the latest commitment on Tuesday of three-star running back Javian Jones-Priest, the Hokies' Class of 2027 recruiting ranking climbed to No. 2 in the ACC according to 247Sports.
Not only is Virginia Tech's recruiting ranking soaring up the rankings of the ACC, but it also moved up inside the Top 15 nationally to No. 14. Now, these rankings change by the day, but the point is there; the James Franklin effect is in full force in Blacksburg.
After Jones-Priest committed, Virginia Tech has 13 commits in the Class of 2027, two four-stars and 11 three-stars. They just moved past Louisville in the ACC and are behind Miami, which is running away from the pack, which shouldn't be a surprise.
Virginia Tech's two four-stars are quarterback Peter Bourque and defensive lineman Joseph Buchanan. Jones-Priest is considered a four-star according to Rivals. Regardless, the Hokies are doing what a lot of fans hoped they would do when Franklin was hired, thriving in recruiting. The scary part for the rest of the ACC is that there are some visits on tap over the next month, and there could be more announcements coming.
The has come in Blacksburg where Virginia Tech is going toe-to-toe with schools like Penn State and Georgia and winning those recruiting battles. Who knows how long Franklin stays at Virginia Tech, but it's time to embrace the James Franklin effect when it comes to recruiting and sit back and enjoy the results.
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