Virginia Tech now on verge of stealing 4-star RB away from Oklahoma and others

When James Franklin was hired at Virginia Tech, he immediately went to work in recruiting. Before the ink was dry from signing his contract, he was lining up visits for recruits to this past weekend's home game against Miami.

The recruits flocked to Blacksburg, and some of them were committed to Penn State, some were committed to Virginia Tech, and some de-committed from Penn State and reopened their recruiting.

One of those latter recruits is four-star running back Messiah Mickens, who committed to Franklin at Penn State but de-committed. Since reopening his recruiting, he was linked to Oklahoma, Indiana, and Ole Miss. After visiting this weekend, Rivals has logged from predictions for Mickens to commit to Franklin in Blacksburg.

Virginia Tech on the verge of landing four-star Class of 2026 RB

Mickens is a four-star recruit by all the big outlets, and Steve Wiltfong, Chad Simmons, and Adam Gorney all predicted that Mickens would commit to Franklin and Virginia Tech. If that ends up being the case, that would be a huge addition for Franklin in Blacksburg and a recruiting win over SEC and Big Ten powerhouse programs.

That would be considered the James Franklin effect, and as Hokies fans will find out soon enough, it's real. This is not expected to be the last prediction for Virginia Tech in the Class of 2026, as early signing day is coming fast early next month.

Mickens would be a massive addition for Virginia Tech, and he would be in a backfield with freshman Jeffrey Overton, Jr., assuming Franklin can retain him; that would be an absolute dynamic young duo for the Hokies. Franklin has a history of bringing four and five-star players, including running backs who end up playing on Sundays, and Mickens would fit the mold.

Who thought the day would come when Virginia Tech would be landing four-star running backs over Oklahoma, Ole Miss, and Indiana?