Virginia Tech landed their first commitment of the 2027 class since James Franklin’s arrival as the Hokies landed a commitment from three-star DL Alexander Taylor out of Baltimore powerhouse St Frances.
The 6’3’’, 230-pound Taylor chose the Hokies over other offers from Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Nebraska, South Carolina, NC State, Auburn, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Boston College, and more.
Taylor is the second player from the Baltimore powerhouse high school to choose Virginia Tech since James Franklin’s arrival along with 2026 three-star CB and former Penn State commit Amauri Polydor. Prior to that, VT hadn’t signed a Saint Frances player since three-star CB Cam Johnson in the 2022 class, who was already committed to VT prior to Justin Fuente’s dismissal and Brent Pry’s hiring. It remains to be seen whether Franklin can cultivate a steady pipeline from St Frances to VT though early signs are good.
Taylor is a solid addition who likely projects as a defensive end rather than a defensive tackle, though another year of physical development could change that.
This is a nice recruiting victory for Franklin, DL coach Sean Spencer, and the Hokies given the competition that they had to battle to land him. Spencer has proven to be a very good defensive line coach and part of that is due to the talent that he is able to bring in. Landing a player with an offer list like Taylor and a school that gets national attention like St Frances is an encouraging sign those skills are translating to what he’s doing at VT.
