Virginia Tech Wrestling made a massive move on the recruiting trail today as elite 2026 wrestling recruit Jayden James out of New Jersey committed to the Hokies.
The Hokies strike gold in Jersey once again! 🦃
— The Wrestling Room (Pat Mineo) (@MrPatMineo) September 14, 2024
2x Fargo National Champion Jayden James (Delbarton) is headed to Blacksburg! The Junior , who is ranked #3 in the nation at 150 lbs, will seek his first NJ state title after 3rd and 2nd place finishes… Absolute stud! 💪🏼… pic.twitter.com/Md8PBb8YKr
James is ranked as the #11 overall wrestling recruit in the country by MatScouts including #3 among those at 150 pounds in high school. He projects as either a 165 or a 174 in college per source. He is a two-time Fargo national champion while he had finishes of third and second in the New Jersey High School championships in his first two years of high schools.
He is also the first commit for the Hokies in the 2026 class, in what could be a fifth-straight top 10 class for the Hokies.
The New Jersey standout had plenty of suitors from across the country including Michigan where he visited last weekend after making a trip to Virginia Tech the prior weekend. VT and Michigan were far from the only suitors for him with Penn State, Iowa, NC State, Nebraska, and Minnesota also among those battling for his commitment.
This is the latest impressive recruiting victory for a Virginia Tech staff that has made landing elite recruits look very routine. The Hokies have also seen plenty of those elite recruits deliver for them on the biggest stages with TJ Stewart becoming the most recent example of that.
With James on board, the Hokies are on the path already to another elite class that should have them in the top 10 at minimum. Having someone like James on board this early should also help with their recruiting of other elite 2026 talents.
