This past weekend was a huge visitors weekend in Blacksburg for new Virginia Tech football coach James Franklin. There were some priority recruits on campus, and the new Hokies coach even picked up some commitments while players were on campus.
One visitor was Paramus, New Jersey, Class of 2027 cornerback Austin Barrett. Some shifting around of visits for Barrett, who was originally scheduled to take a visit in Charlottesville with Virginia. Instead, he moved his Virginia Tech visit up to this past weekend, and what a move it was.
James Franklin pulls a fast one on Tony Elliott and Virginia
Barrett, a three-star 6-foot-1, 170-pound cornerback according to 247Sports, had a visit scheduled for Virginia Tech later this month. He moved that up to his visit date to Virginia before picking the Hokies on Tuesday morning. He also scheduled visits to West Virginia and Boston College, but it appears that those trips won't be happening.
In the end, he picked Virginia Tech over Virginia, Boston College, and West Virginia. He reportedly had 17 offers on the table. The last two seasons, Barrett has recorded 70 tackles, with his sophomore year being his best in 2024. He registered 43 tackles that year with two fumble recoveries, two interceptions, and a forced fumble. Going into his senior season in the fall, he owns career totals of 70 tackles, 11 pass breakups, three fumble recoveries, three interceptions, and a forced fumble.
#AGTG i am blessed to officially say i have shut down my recruitment because i am 10000% Committed!! @coachjfranklin @NIckPerry_27 @_VicHall @On3 @kolby_crawford @EvanGWatkins247 @AABonNBC pic.twitter.com/gHQ7xez2IY
— Austin Barrett (@Austin_Barrett9) June 2, 2026
As much as Franklin was part of Barrett's recruitment, the primary recruiter was position coach Nick Perry.
"I love my relationship with Coach Perry,'' Barrett told 247Sports. "He is a very experienced coach, and I love that. He made me feel at home the moment I started getting recruited by VT. He is straight-forward and he doesn't sugarcoat anything, he is going to give you the truth no matter what, and that's what I love about him – his honesty."
Barrett is the 18th commit in Franklin's Class of 2027, which is a quickly rising class in terms of rankings. He joins cornerback Chase Johnson from Georgia and safety Elijah Butler from Baltimore as commitments in the secondary for Franklin so far this cycle.
This was a potential nightmare hire from Tony Elliott when Virginia Tech named Franklin their next coach. From recruiting results off the field to potential Franklin dominance on the field, this is the worst-case scenario for UVA and its fans. However, if Franklin is going to be pulling off recruiting moves as he did this past weekend, then the Franklin hire is truly going to be a nightmare for Virginia for years to come, or as long as Franklin remains in Blacksburg.
Recruiting success like this has been long overdue in Blacksburg. There is a strong possibility that more commitments are coming the Hokies way after this past weekend's recruiting visits and more over the rest of the month. There is a battle brewing for Zayvon Miller, who is scheduled to make his commitment on Tuesday night, with Virginia predicted to land him over Virginia Tech, Louisville, and others.
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