Virginia Tech Football Pulls off Last-Second Flip of 4-Star Recruit From Virginia

Early Signing Day was Wednesday for the Class of 2025 as most players either held their commitment or flipped over the last couple of months, weeks, and days. Virginia Tech lost on a recruit in the class. In September when Matthew Outten flipped his commitment from the Hokies to James Franklin and Penn State, Bret Pry’s former boss before coming to Blacksburg.

There were some rumors that South Carolina was trying to flip AJ Brand from Virginia Tech, but that attempt failed, as he officially signed with the Hokies on Wednesday. However, Pry and his staff were able to flip one commitment, and it’s a big one for the future.

Virginia Tech flips Cincinnati four-star commit

On June 17, four-star safety Jahmari DeLoatch committed to the University of Cincinnati over the Hokies and just 10 days after he visited Blacksburg. The 5-foot-10, 160-pound Chesapeake native flipped his commitment Wednesday morning to Virginia Tech after de-committing from the Bearcats.

This is a big flip and win for Pry as it only strengthens the connection between Virginia Tech and the Commonwealth's high school coaches and programs in Virginia. DeLoatch was a highly sought-after recruit and losing out to Cincinnati was a loss, but now flipping him is big. DeLoatch is the eighth-ranked player in Virginia and the third four-star commit in the class for Virginia Tech and the 12th commit from Virginia.

 When he was hired to replace Justin Fuente, Pry knew that mending relationships in Virginia was a must for recruiting and keeping the in-state talent in Virginia. Despite committing to Cincinnati, Virginia Tech coach Fontel Mines continued his pursuit of DeLoatch, and all that hard work paid off. DeLoatch cited constant communication between the Hokies staff and himself as well as the vision that Virginia Tech has as a reason he flipped his commitment at the last second.