Recruiting is booming for James Franklin and Virginia Tech. It was a slow start to the Class of 2027 cycle, but you knew eventually things would pick up. It has.
The success in recruiting has not only been because of Franklin, but also his assistant coaches. Two of his assistants began the week as Top 10 recruiters in the ACC, first-year running backs coach Norval McKenzie from Georgia Tech, and new defensive line coach Sean Spencer, who came over from Texas A&M.
Both got some early commitments in the class, with Spencer hitting gold early, followed by McKenzie, who hit a heater in April and early May. Currently, Virginia Tech has 15 recruits committed in the Class of 2027, and with four weekends of visits coming up, there should be some additions over the next month and this summer. The class is quickly rising toward a Top 10 class according to 247Sports.
For all the success the Hokies have had early, another one of Franklin's assistants cracked the Top 10 in the ACC for recruiting after the latest commitment earlier this week.
Virginia Tech OC Ty Howle cracks ACC Top 10 recruiting rankings
Tight ends coach Ty Howle was one of the assistants to follow Franklin to Blacksburg from Virginia Tech. Along with coaching the tight ends, Howle will also serve as the Hokies' offensive coordinator this fall. On Tuesday night, Virginia Tech and Howle picked up a second tight end commitment in the Class of 2027, which raised Howle to No. 6 in the ACC recruiting rankings.
Columbus, Ohio, tight end and four-star Jordan Karhoff committed to the Hokies over Miami and Texas A&M. The hometown Buckeyes were also in the mix, but like Penn State fans who lose a recruiting battle to Franklin and Virginia Tech, they didn't want him, according to their fans on social media. Yeah, right.
Anyway, Karhoff has been a target of Frankin and Howle since their Penn State days, and he remained a target when they landed in Blacksburg. He is the second tight end commit, joining three-star Braxton Salster from Alabama, who committed last month to the Hokies.
Having recruiting success at the tight end position is something that is fairly new to Virginia Tech fans. It's been a position that has not been used much in recent years, but that's about to change under the new staff, unsurprisingly. Just look at the tight end talent that has turned out to the NFL from State College.
Franklin has two other assistants, wide receiver coach Fontel Mines and offensive line coach Matt Moore, who should be knocking on the door of cracking the Top 10 in the ACC. Mines was a valuable recruiter under former Virginia Tech head coach and now defensive coordinator Brent Pry. There have been some good wide receivers added in the class under Mines.
The next month is a vital month in recruiting across the country. Some big targets are visiting during that span in Blacksburg, and expect more commitments to come.
Add us as a preferred source on Google