The 2026 recruiting class has officially taken shape in Blacksburg.
Virginia Tech Football welcomed 22 recruits on National Signing Day this past week, the product of an unwavering recruiting effort spearheaded by first-year head coach James Franklin and his staff.
The Hokies, who now find themselves with a nationally ranked top-25 recruiting class for the first time since 2019, landed eight four-star prospects—tied for the most-ever in program history (2019). Franklin now owns a 13-year streak of top-25 classes.
22 recruits will call Blacksburg home in 2026. Of the incoming group, nine are homegrown prospects who will arrive at Virginia Tech from various high schools across the state.
Seven signees from the 2026 recruiting class find themselves on the offensive line. The defensive line checked in with four signees.
The 2026 recruiting class features six of Virginia’s top 25 prospects (247Sports). The total ties the highest mark (2023) through at least the last 14 years.
Consensus four-star quarterback Troy Huhn will travel over 2,400 miles from his hometown in Carlsbad, California to join Franklin and the Hokies. The total marks the furthest distance a 2026 signee will travel to arrive in Blacksburg.
Of 136 FBS programs, Virginia Tech’s recruiting effort ranked No. 124 in the country at the time of Franklin’s hire on Nov. 17. In just over two weeks, however, the Hokies have leapt up the leaderboards, jumping over 100 positions to what currently stands as a No. 23 overall recruiting class (247Sports Composite). The massive rankings climb serves as a key indicator of Franklin’s ability to pursue, recruit and sign key playmakers who are now slated to call Blacksburg home.
Positionally, Tech’s 2026 recruitment class features a wealth of talent on both sides of the ball. Eleven of the 22 Hokies find themselves on offense, while 10 feature in defensive roles and one familiar name finds himself on special teams.
On the offensive side of the ball, Franklin and the Virginia Tech Football recruitment staff corralled seven offensive linemen: Marlen Bright, Roseby Lubintus, Buddy Wegdam, Maddox Cochrane, Tyrell Simpson, Thomas Wilder and Benjamin Eziuka. The group makes up the largest majority of all 2026 Tech recruits, each bringing unique skills and monstrous size that are sure to make a difference in Lane Stadium next season.
Surrounding the newly signed offensive linemen are an elite class of four-star recruits that are primed to make big strides in maroon and orange. Quarterback Troy Huhn, running back Messiah Mickens, wide receiver Davion Brown and tight end Pierce Petersohn all enter with four-star rankings, the quartet marking the first time in program history that a Tech recruiting class features at least one four-star in each of the positions.
Hailing from Carlsbad, Calif., Huhn arrives in Blacksburg after posting 2,438 passing yards and 29 touchdowns as a senior at Mission Hills High School.
While Huhn gets it done in the air, Mickens finds success in the ground game, evidenced by a near 4,000-yard career between time at Trinity and Harrisburg High School in his hometown of Pennsylvania. A consensus four-star runner who selected the Hokies ahead of Alabama, Indiana, Ohio State and a staggering 21 additional offers, the 5-foot-10, 220-pound rusher posted a pair of 1,000-yard seasons over four years and averaged over eight yards a carry in his sophomore campaign.
Both Brown and Petersohn arrive in Blacksburg as the top ranked position player from their state – Brown as the No. 1 wide receiver from Virginia (ESPN) and Petersohn as the No. 1 tight end from Minnesota (247Sports).
Of the 10 defensive players signed to the Virginia Tech 2026 recruitment class, three arrive with four-star rankings: linebacker Terry Wiggins (consensus), defensive lineman Tyson Harley (Rivals) and defensive back Amauri Polydor (ESPN). The trio arrives in Blacksburg looking to make an immediate impact after selecting Virginia Tech over a combined 40 additional offers.
Joining Wiggins in the linebacker room are John Patrick-Oates and Mathieu Lamah. The incoming linebacker unit produced a staggering 225 tackles in their senior seasons, demonstrating each student-athlete’s ability to disrupt opposing offenses behind elite defensive play. Polydor will be joined by defensive backs Zaevion Cleveland and Tyrell Grant Jr., the latter demonstrating his show-stopping athletic abilities at the quarterback position throughout his time at Nansemond River High School in Suffolk, Va.
It’s a family business for incoming recruit Will Love, the younger brother of current Hokie placekicker John Love. Will, who was a two-time all-region selection at Spartanburg High School in Spartanburg, South Carolina, joins the Hokies after serving as a four-year varsity placekicker for the team. At 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, Will Love has seen success from various distances and locations on the field, evidenced by his 51-yard game-winning kick against Dorman High School this past October.
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