Our Virginia Tech Football recruiting breakdown series continues on the defensive side of the football moving to cornerback. You can check out the rest of our position-by-position breakdowns at the link below.
Virginia Tech has done well at landing top of the board guys at cornerback over the past few years whether the recruiting rankings agree with them or not. That includes Joshua Clarke last cycle and the combination of Braylon Johnson and Dante Lovett in the previous class.
The Hokies' cornerback class already has one commit in Knahlij Harrell with a few other top targets who have tons of interest in VT, while 2026 is also headlined by more in-state talent. So with that said, here's a look at where things stand
2025: In-State Focus as Class Comes Together
The 2025 cornerback class has been defined by in-state talent with the Hokies having one on board and trending well for some other in-state standouts.
Three-star CB Knahlij Harrell got things going for the Hokies just after the start of 2024 with his commitment to the Hokies. He committed within days of his Green Run HS teammate, three-star WR Jayden Anderson, as the Hokies are starting to build a pipeline out of the Virginia Beach powerhouse after signing four-star WR Keylen Adams last cycle.
Harrell may not be the highest rated guy, but plenty of strong regional programs were in pursuit including West Virginia, Maryland, and Duke. This is a case of a player who the Hokies view higher than the recruiting rankings and profiles as a true cornerback rather than a Mansoor Delane-type who could reasonably play either safety or cornerback.
The Hokies also have lots of momentum with three-star CB Jahmari DeLoatch out of 757 powerhouse Oscar Smith HS.
