BLACKSBURG, Va. — With the dead period ending, college football recruiting has been kicked into overdrive. June has been a hectic month not only at Virginia Tech, but everywhere across the country, with schools able to host recruits after being unable to do so for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At last, coaches are able to meet face-to-face with recruits, rather than just through Zoom.
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After the addition of running back Bryce Duke on June 22, Virginia Tech’s 2022 class has 12 commitments.
This recruiting tracker will be updated as Virginia Tech’s class grows. Below is a rundown of where the group stands currently. All rankings are from the 247Sports Composite, and the most recent commitments are listed first.
Bryce Duke, RB
Hometown: Leesburg, Va.
High school: Tuscarora
Ranking: No. 906 nationally, No. 70 RB
Date of commitment: June 22, 2021
Notable: The 5-foot-11, 196-pound Duke is the first running back in the class, this after the Hokies took three running backs to add to an already overstocked room last cycle. Duke committed to Tech after earning an offer during a workout with coaches in Blacksburg in early June. He also had offers from Rutgers, Cincinnati and Duke. He’s a productive back, the Region 4C offensive player of the year and a first-team all-state selection after finishing with 1,772 all-purpose yards and 25 touchdowns as a junior in an eight-game season this spring. Duke’s an impressive athlete who has good speed (he was timed at 4.6 seconds in the 40 in November), decent size and capable hands as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, making him a potential three-down back. He’s the No. 26 player in Virginia and the third in-state commitment in the Hokies’ 2022 class, joining tight end Harrison Saint Germain (Chantilly) and Lemar Law (Virginia Beach).
Johnny Garrett, OT
Hometown: Scituate, Mass.
High school: Boston College
Ranking: No. 1,061 nationally, No. 104 OL
Date of commitment: June 21, 2021
Notable: The Hokies added their fourth offensive line commitment in the class by landing Garrett, a 6-foot-5, 265-pound three-star prospect who earned an offer during a camp visit on June 3. He came back for an official visit, which sealed the deal. Garrett’s junior season was his first at tackle after playing tight end. He also plays on the defensive line. Boston College was his only other Power 5 offer, though Duke had shown interest, and he had offers from UMass, UConn, Army and Air Force. He’s the No. 9 player in Massachusetts. He’s the third offensive line recruit from Boston College High who’s gone to an ACC school in the past three years, joining Erik Russell at Wake Forest in the 2021 class and Ozzy Trapilo at Boston College in 2020.
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Malcolm Jones, S
Hometown: Leesburg, Ga.
High school: Lee County
Ranking: No. 542 overall, No. 34 S
Date of commitment: June 20, 2021
Notable: The 6-foot-1, 185-pound safety/athlete had an offer from the Hokies since March, his only Power 5 offer among a group that includes Liberty, Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky. Jones, who committed after taking an official visit the weekend of June 18, is a big-hitter at safety who also has shown an ability to high point the ball as a receiver at Lee County High, which is north of Albany. He’s the second commitment in the class from Georgia, joining quarterback Devin Farrell. Tech signed four players from the Peach State last year. He’s the first DB in the class. After Virginia Tech signed nine defensive backs last year, it might be a limited number this cycle.
Xavier Simmons, ATH
Hometown: Greensboro, N.C.
High school: Northwest Guilford
Ranking: No. 378 nationally, No. 40 LB
Date of commitment: June 19, 2021
Notable: At 6-3, 225 pounds, Simmons is an intriguing athlete who has played linebacker, receiver and tight end in high school, though defense is probably where he’ll play in college, considering his primary recruiter is linebackers coach Jack Tyler. He’s a high three-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite, though he’s a four-star and the No. 190 player nationally in 247Sports site-specific rankings. He’s the highest-ranked player in the Hokies’ 2022 class and, as the No. 12 player in the Tar Heel state, becomes the highest-ranked North Carolina prospect Tech has landed since J.R. Walker in 2019. Simmons was being pursued heavily in the region by NC State, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Duke, with an offer from Oklahoma too. He plays at Northwest Guilford, the same high school as Tech wide receiver Tre Turner. After racking up 90 tackles as a sophom*ore, Simmons followed it up with 61 tackles, seven tackles for a loss, two sacks and five recovered fumbles in an eight-game junior season.
Matt Hoffman, TE
Hometown: Wyncote, Pa.
High school: Cheltenham
Ranking: N/A in the 247Sports Composite (No. 84 TE by 247Sports)
Date of commitment: June 19, 2021
Notable: The tight end turned an unofficial visit earlier this week into an offer from the Hokies, then committed on an official visit over the weekend. The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder from Cheltenham High in the Philadelphia suburbs also had a Temple offer, with Tech being the first Power 5 school to extend a scholarship. The Hokies had plenty of tight ends in town on visits in recent weekends, with Charlie Kenrich (who committed to Purdue on Saturday) and Jack Nickel coming to Blacksburg. Hoffman becomes tight end No. 2 in the class, joining Harrison Saint Germain, meaning the Hokies are probably done at the position in this cycle — though they need to replenish that spot with James Mitchell likely off to the NFL after this season and Drake DeIuliis in his fifth year. Hoffman, who also plays defensive end, played in New Jersey last year after Cheltenham didn’t have a fall season. He’s unranked in the 247Sports Composite but a three-star prospect and the No. 30 player in Pennsylvania, according to 247Sports’ site-specific rankings.
Jakson LaHue, OL
Hometown: Azle, Texas
High school: Azle
Ranking: No. 893 overall, No. 82 OT
Date of commitment: June 17, 2021
Notable: The Hokies dipped into Texas for a third time in the ’22 class to grab what’s also their third offensive lineman, joining Johnny Dickson and Braelin Moore, a wise strategy considering Tech’s low offensive line numbers and the good possibility three or four linemen go pro after this season. LaHue, who visited Tech the weekend of June 11, is a tall, lean prospect out of Azle High who has started at left tackle since his sophom*ore season and has been identified as an underrated Texas prospect. He’d camped at hometown TCU several times, though he never garnered a Horned Frogs offer, instead having a scholarship list of Ivy League schools like Columbia, Dartmouth, Penn and Yale. He has a 4.0 grade point average and competes in track and field as a shot put and discus thrower. He joins Dickson and quarterback Alex Orji as Texas prospects in this class. Tech signed three Texas prospects in 2020 and ’21 combined (defensive ends Alec Bryant and Robert Wooten and receiver Da’Wain Lofton).
Lemar Law, DL
Hometown: Virginia Beach, Va.
High school: Bayside
Ranking: No. 1,123 overall, No. 149 DL
Date of commitment: June 2, 2021
Notable: Law became the first commitment after the June reopening of in-person recruiting, doing so after visiting Virginia Tech’s campus. Law is 6-foot-5 and has a listed weight of anywhere from 265 to 280 on various recruiting sites. If it’s toward the latter, he’ll almost certainly play on the interior at defensive tackle with the Hokies, though they’ve tried to get bigger at their end position in recent years. Wherever he ends up, that’s a big body with which Virginia Tech can work. At 6-foot-5, he’s taller than any defensive linemen on campus for spring practice other than Amare Barno (though some tall, lean athletes arrive this summer). In addition to playing on the defensive line for Bayside, he’s a tight end, earning second-team All-Beach District honors at both this spring.
Johnny Dickson, OG
Hometown: Corpus Christi, Texas
High school: Flour Bluff
Ranking: No. 517 overall, No. 19 IOL
Date of commitment: April 21, 2021
Notable: Dickson is technically a Texas recruit, but he has deep ties to the Virginia area. He’s originally from Virginia Beach but moved to Texas when he was in the eighth grade, so this isn’t some far-flung commitment (his mother is in the U.S. Navy). The 6-foot-3, 285-pounder is a three-year-starter at Flour Bluff and was the anchor for the Hornets’ offensive line during the team’s run to the Class 5A Division I state quarterfinals last season. He was a first-team selection on the All-South Texas football team. Given the Hokies’ depleted offensive line numbers, and the possibility that a handful of linemen may turn pro after this season, expect Dickson to be one of many O-line commits in the class.
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Alex Orji, QB
Hometown: Sachse, Texas
High school: Sachse
Ranking: No. 437 overall, No. 29 QB
Date of commitment: April 8, 2021
Notable: A physically impressive dual-threat quarterback at 6-foot-2, 226 pounds, Orji could be the latest Texas quarterback to come to Virginia Tech. In the past decade, the Hokies have had Michael Brewer, Jerod Evans and Connor Blumrick, though touted 2021 prospect Dematrius Davis, a Houston product, flipped his commitment and signed with Auburn. Once listed as an athlete, Orji’s built like a linebacker, which is no surprise, considering his two older brothers, Alston and Anfernee, are linebackers at Vanderbilt. He’s bounced around in high school, playing at three places, but he settled at Sachse High last year, where as a junior he threw for 1,647 yards and 11 touchdowns and ran for 980 yards and 16 touchdowns for a team that went 3-6. Orji was one of the top testers at an Elite 11 regional camp in April, running a 4.73-second 40-yard dash and posting a 37-inch vertical, so he’s an impressive athlete.
Braelin Moore, OG
Hometown: Bethlehem, Pa.
High school: Freedom
Ranking: No. 652 overall, No. 97 DL
Date of commitment: Feb. 27, 2021
Notable: Recruiting younger brothers of Hokies players was a hallmark of the Frank Beamer era and it’s continued under Justin Fuente, who’s landed three younger brothers of former Tech players: Nick Gallo (Eric), Jalen Stroman (Greg) and Jack Hollifield (Dax). Braelin is No. 4, the younger brother of Kaden, a freshman offensive lineman for the Hokies who has a promising future. Tech was one of the first to offer Braelin, who’s listed as a defensive lineman on his 247Sports recruiting profile, though he’s expected to land on the offensive line with the Hokies like his brother. They’re the same height (6-3), and given time, you’d imagine the 290-pound Braelin will fill out like the 317-pound Kaden. They were high school teammates in 2019 when Kaden was a senior and will be again in Blacksburg next year.
Harrison Saint Germain, TE
Hometown: Chantilly, Va.
High school: Westfield
Ranking: No. 1,063 overall, No. 62 TE
Date of commitment: Feb. 22, 2021
Notable: The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Saint Germain was an early commitment for the Hokies, who he chose over an offer from Wake Forest. He comes from a top program in Northern Virginia in Westfield. (The Hokies briefly had a commitment from former Bulldogs QB Noah Kim, who flipped to Michigan State in the 2020 class.) With James Mitchell likely off to the NFL after the 2021 season, Tech will need to replenish the ranks at the position. Saint Germain spent time both with a hand in the ground and split out wide during Westfield’s spring season, showing blocking ability and soft hands, versatility that Virginia Tech likes at what’s one of the most demanding positions in the Hokies’ offense.
Devin Farrell, QB
Hometown: Alpharetta, Ga.
High school: Milton
Ranking: No. 704 overall, No. 49 QB
Date of commitment: Feb. 11, 2021
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Notable: The first pledge in the Hokies’ 2022 class is a versatile athlete who committed just a few weeks after getting an offer this winter. As a junior for Milton High, Farrell, who also had offers from Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Duke, completed 63 percent of his passes for 1,812 yards and 13 touchdowns, adding 553 yards and five more touchdowns on the ground. He’s listed at 6 feet, 192 pounds, which is smaller than the type of quarterback Tech has recruited over the years, and with Orji’s commitment in the class, one wonders if he’ll stick at the position in college. Farrell has also played cornerback in high school, which might be a path for him in college too.
(Photo of Justin Fuente: Michael Shroyer / Getty Images)
