When James Franklin was hired as Virginia Tech's new football coach, he knew that he had a big job in front of him when it comes to rebuilding different parts of the roster. One area where he needed to make some big strides in recruiting was along the offensive line.
This past season, the offensive line was a disaster, and really, for the last couple of seasons, the line play has been suspect at best. Since taking over, Franklin has quickly made strides with the offensive line in the Class of 2026.
On Thanksgiving, the former Penn State coach got a pair of former Nittany Lions commits to follow him to Blacksburg in Marlen Bright and Roseby Lubintus. On Sunday, one day after taking an official visit, Franklin got his third commitment along the offensive line in four days when a former Wisconsin commit announced he was going to Virginia Tech.
Former Wisconsin OL and Virginia native Maddox Cochrane commits to the Hokies and James Franklin
Three-star offensive lineman Maddox Cochrane from Richmond, Virginia, committed on Sunday after taking his official visit this weekend. The 6-foot-7, 280-pound Cochrane attended the Hokies' final home game of the 2025 season against Miami last weekend for an unofficial visit.
This is a big in-state win for Franklin at Virginia Tech, as before Cochrane committed to Wisconsin, he was also considering Duke, Virginia, and Rutgers. According to 247Sports, he is the 83rd-ranked offensive tackle and the 22nd-ranked player in the Commonwealth.
So far in the Class of 2026, Virginia Tech has Lubintus, Bright, Cochrane, Tyrell Simpson, and Buddy Wegdam committed. Cochrane was just one of several recruits on campus in Blacksburg this weekend, and with signing day on Wednesday, the commitments are expected to continue over the next couple of days for Franklin in Blacksburg.