As we pass the midway point of May, recruiting visits are going to pick up across college football over the next six weeks and a lot of decisions are going to be made by many recruits about their future and where they will play their college football.
Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry and his staff have been hitting the road recruiting for the Class of 2026 and so far have three commitments in the class. They will get more, but to keep up with the rest of the conference, they are going to have to hope that they get some four and five-star recruits. I know, five-star recruits and Virginia Tech haven't been words spoken together much, but a recent ranking by ESPN proves that the Hokies are slipping behind the rest of the conference and doing so quickly.
Latest ESPN football recruiting ranking paints a bad picture for Virginia Tech
It's safe to say that Virginia Tech did themselves no favors in terms of recruiting with a dismal 2024 season that began with so much hype that ended with a 6-7 season. Sometimes, your best recruiting is the results on the field, and that was not the case for the Hokies last fall.
ESPN released their latest 2026 college football recruiting class rankings, and the picture in terms of the ACC is not a great outlook right now for the Hokies. Seven ACC schools were ranked inside the Top 25.
- 5. Clemson
- 7. Syracuse
- 12. Miami
- 13. North Carolina
- 14. Louisville
- 18. Florida State
- 22. Boston College
Some takeaways from the ACC schools listed is that the Bill Belichick effect is real in Chapel Hill, and the Fran Brown effect is in full force in New York. The Bill O'Brien effect is out in full force in Chestnut Hill with Boston College? That's not a great sign that the Eagles have an early advantage in recruiting, something rarely said.
You expect Clemson, Miami, Louisville and Florida State to be in there, but Boston College being there is not great. Yes, it's early, but it feels like Pry has a lot of work to do to catch up to the rest of the conference in terms of recruiting and this will be a big next six weeks in Blacksburg to try and make up some ground.