Virginia Tech signed 19 high school players to Letters of Intent on Tuesday.
Known for their recruiting prowess inside Virginia’s borders, the Hokies
signed just six players from the Commonwealth of Virginia this year. Included in
this number is Todd Nolen, who originally signed with Tech last February but
spent a season at Fork Union Military Academy and re-signed with Tech. These 19
players join 2006 signees Devin Radford and Aaron Brown, who enrolled in
January.
Unlike previous years, there was no drama on signing day. No recruits
decommitted from the Hokies (or to the Hokies), and no new recruits
committed to Virginia Tech on signing day.
Heading up Virginia Tech’s group of in-state recruits is Meadowbrook High
School defensive end John Graves, who is the #5 player in the state by TSL’s
in-state rankings. Graves was long considered a Virginia lean, but ultimately
chose the Hokies over the Cavaliers and numerous other programs.
Another highly-rated in-state player the Hokies signed is Phoebus High School
linebacker Matt Wright, the brother of current Tech free safety D.J. Parker.
Wright is rated #11 in Virginia by TechSideline.com, and he continues the long
tradition of Phoebus players to play at Virginia Tech. Former Phoebus players
currently on Tech’s team are Xavier Adibi, D.J. Parker and Elan Lewis.
The Hokies also grabbed defensive tackle Daryl Robertson from Liberty
(Bedford). Robertson is the #14 player in the state. Tech also got commitments
from ATH Kam Chancellor (#24) and OL Beau Warren (#27).
Graves and Robertson are part of an outstanding defensive line class. The
Hokies also landed four-star defensive end Jason Adjepong and three-star
defensive end Mike Gee from the state of New Jersey. That trio of players makes
up one of the top defensive end classes in the nation. At defensive tackle, Tech
grabbed Ladi Ajiboye, a former South Carolina commit, out of the state of
Georgia. The Hokies also got a late commitment from unheralded defensive tackle
prospect Joey Hall from the state of North Carolina.
In addition to Adjepong and Gee, the Hokies signed ATH Zach Luckett from New
Jersey. Luckett is a highly versatile player who can play a number of different
positions. He is expected to start his Tech career at wide receiver, but he
could also play safety, rover, or possibly whip linebacker.
Virginia Tech also headed into the state of Maryland, where they signed four
players. Nekos Brown will play alongside Matt Wright at linebacker. Rashad
Carmichael chose the Hokies early in the process and many consider him to be
Tech’s most undervalued prospect. Also headed to Blacksburg from the state of
Maryland are wide receiver Douglas McNeil and tight end Andre Smith.
Virginia Tech was forced to go out of state this year because so many
Virginia prospects were looking to leave the state. As a result, the Hokies
signed four players from North Carolina, four from Maryland, three from New
Jersey, two from Georgia and two from Ohio. For a complete list of Virginia Tech
signees, see below.
| 2006 Virginia Tech Football Recruiting Class (including Devin Radford and Aaron Brown, who enrolled in January) (not including Todd Nolen, who originally signed in Feb. 2005) |
||||||
| Stars | Pos | Name | Ht | Wt | Hometown | State |
 |
FB | Sutton, Devven |
6-1 | 237 | Elizabeth City | NC |
 |
WR | Sykes, Jacob |
6-0 | 180 | Goldsboro | NC |
|
WR | McNeil, Douglas |
6-4 | 190 | Owings Mills | MD |
|
TE | Smith, Andre |
6-4 | 235 | Germantown | MD |
 |
OL | Brown, Aaron |
6-6 | 285 | Cincinnati | OH |
|
OL | Crum, Clark |
6-7 | 280 | Dublin | OH |
|
OL | Warren, Beau |
6-4 | 250 | Clifton | VA |
|
DT | Ajiboye, Olufemi |
6-2 | 290 | College Park | GA |
|
DT | Hall, Joey |
6-3 | 250 | Sanford | NC |
|
DT | Robertson, Daryl |
6-3 | 285 | Bedford | VA |
|
DE | Graves, John |
6-3 | 240 | Richmond | VA |
|
DE | Adjepong, Jason |
6-3 | 245 | Carteret | NJ |
|
DE | Gee, Mike |
6-2 | 240 | Englewood | NJ |
|
LB | Brown, Nekos |
6-3 | 225 | Waldorf | MD |
|
LB | Wright, Matt |
6-2 | 213 | Hampton | VA |
|
S | Edwards, Mario |
6-2 | 192 | Atlanta | GA |
|
ATH | Carmichael, Rashad |
5-9 | 175 | Brandywine | MD |
|
ATH | Luckett, Zach |
6-3 | 205 | Absecon | NJ |
|
ATH | Radford, Devin |
5-8 | 175 | Fayetteville | NC |
|
ATH | Chancellor, Kam |
6-4 | 215 | Norfolk | VA |
In the coming days and weeks, TechSideline.com will bring you detailed analysis and commentary on the class and the recruiting process. Stay tuned, and subscribe to TSL Pass to learn all about the new batch of
recruits.
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