Head coach Justin Fuente officially welcomed two more student-athletes to Virginia Tech on Wednesday. This duo joins the 15 players inked by the Hokies during the early signing period in December, bringing the total of Tech’s 2020 signing class to 17 members.
“We’re excited to add Raheem and Dallan to our 2020 signing class,” Fuente said. “While the majority of our 2020 guys signed early, we knew there would be an opportunity to add several more talented players to our roster. Our coaching staff is looking forward to getting the entire group on campus so we can get to work.”
In total, Tech’s 17-member class is comprised of players who competed at the prep level from 10 different states. Florida was the Hokies’ most represented states with three signees apiece from those states. Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Texas each contributed a pair of signees, while Virginia, Tennessee, Connecticut and South Carolina each contributed one prep signee apiece. This group is comprised of five running backs, four defensive linemen, three defensive backs, two offensive linemen, two wide receivers and one tight end.
Here is a look at the two newest additions to Tech’s signing class:
Raheem Blackshear; running back; 5’9”, 192 lbs.; Philadelphia, Penn.; Archbishop Wood Catholic HS/Rutgers
Played in 27 games (14 starts) at Rutgers, rushing 211 times for 912 yards with six touchdowns and three 100-yard games … caught 80 passes for 810 yards with six TDs, recording a trio of 100-yard games … returned 30 kickoffs for 518 yards (17.3 avg.) … totaled 2,239 career all-purpose yards for the Scarlet Knights …started the first four games of the 2019 season, rushing 29 times for 88 yards … despite only playing in those four games, still ranked second on the team with 29 receptions for 310 yards with two TDs and a pair of 100-yard performances … had nine receptions for 130 receiving yards, including a 74-yard TD vs. Boston College (9/21/19) … recorded 165 all-purpose yards vs. UMass (8/30/19), including 126 receiving yards on nine receptions with one TD … earned a spot on the Paul Hornung Award watch list prior to 2019 season … named to Academic All-Big Ten team in 2018 and 2019 … ran a career-high 22 times for 102 yards with one TD vs. Penn State (11/17/18) … also posted 19 carries for 102 yards at Kansas (9/15/18) … in his second collegiate game ran 14 times for 102 yards with a career-best two TDs vs. Morgan State (9/16/17) … honorable mention Big Ten Network All-Freshman team in 2017 … coached by Steve Devlin at Archbishop Wood Catholic High School in suburban Philadelphia … led Vikings to an 11-2 record and a PIAA Class AAAAA state title as a senior in 2016 … gained 1,257 yards rushing with 19 touchdowns on the ground as a senior … first-team 5A All-State selection as an athlete by the Pennsylvania Football Writers.
Dallan Wright; wide receiver; 6’1”, 170 lbs.; Saluda, S.C., Saluda HS
First name pronounced DAY-lin … played for head coach Stewart Young at Saluda High School in Saluda, South Carolina … helped lead the Tigers to a 13-3 record and the 2019 2-A South Carolina state championship … caught 87 passes for 1,508 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior, averaging 17.3 yards per reception … also rushed for 103 yards with two TDs as a senior, averaging 9.0 yards per carry … part of an offense that scored 40 points or more in eight of the team’s wins … also plays basketball at Saluda, where he was the Greenwood Index-Journal’s Player of the Year as a junior.
