Virginia Tech has made a big splash in the Commonwealth of Virginia as four-star DE Gerard Johnson out of Frank W. Cox HS in Virginia Beach has committed to the Hokies.
1000% Committed to Virginia Tech!!! #GoHokies @Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/5aNhJP33Bk
— Gerard johnson (@gerard_johnsonn) July 1, 2023
Johnson chose the Hokies over fellow finalist UVA plus other offers from Duke, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Vanderbilt, Boston College, East Carolina, JMU, Old Dominion, Temple, and more.
He is the third in-state commitment for the Hokies in this cycle joining three-star CB Joshua Clarke from Northern Virginia and three-star DB Noah Jenkins from Richmond. He is also the fourth defensive line commit in this class joining three-star DE Deric Dandy from North Carolina, three-star DT Emmett Laws from Maryland, and three-star DT Andrew Hanchuk from Ohio.
This is a massive win for the Hokies on the recruiting trail as Johnson is the first top 10 in-state recruit on average across multiple rankings that the Hokies have landed since Gunner Givens in the 2022 transition class following Brent Pry's arrival. Tech had started completely whiffing on top 10 in-state recruits at the end of the Justin Fuente era with this being a tremendous step forward from those days for VT recruiting.
This is also a big win for the Hokies in the 757 given the fact that they didn't sign a single high school recruit out of the 757 in the 2023 recruiting cycle. Yes, there's no doubt that Tech has made strides in terms of rebuilding relationships in that important region, but this is the beginning of that work proving fruitful for Pry and the Hokies.
DL coach J.C. Price has gotten some criticism in the past about his recruiting abilities but those concerns are starting to quiet. Tech has won some big time battles on the defensive line lately beyond just Johnson beating out some regional rivals for three-star DT Emmett Laws and landing talented Florida DE Antwaun Powell-Ryland out of the transfer portal.
