Virginia Tech Football Recruiting Notes 6/10/20

Photo Credit: Jake Roth

It's been a busy past few weeks for the Hokies on the recruiting trail as they've gained five new commitments (Jaylen Jones, Jalen Stroman, Chance Black, Mattheus Carroll, Danijel Miletic) while also losing one from four-star WR Latrell Neville. However, the Hokies are in good shape for a couple top targets. Here's the latest Virginia Tech football recruiting notes.

4* DE Naquan Brown

Priority 757 target Naquan Brown released his top 6 yesterday with Virginia Tech unsurprisingly.

The Hokies were joined by LSU, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Penn State, and Miami in Brown's top 6 in a group that is mostly along the East Coast.

At this point, Virginia Tech and LSU appear to be the top contenders as the defending national champions have emerged as a major player. However, there are also questions about whether the Tigers would take Brown at this point, something that isn't a question with the Hokies.

Additionally, Pittsburgh has gained a lot of momentum recruiting in Virginia since adding assistant Chris Beatty and should be seen as a legitimate contender to watch given those connections. Miami and Penn State are also a couple wild card teams while Tennessee has almost no room in general in their class and seems like the longest of longshots.

Brown is an important recruit for the Hokies to land and Tech has work to do to try to hold off the tough competition they face from out-of-state from the Keystone State to the Bayou.

RB Malachi Thomas

Malachi Thomas has emerged as one of Virginia Tech's top running back targets, and it's paying off.

Thomas told us that the Hokies are among six schools currently standing out in his recruitment along with Kansas State, UCF, Appalachian State, Western Kentucky, and Georgia Southern. Additionally, the Hokies are among a trio of schools recruiting Thomas the hardest along with UCF and Western Kentucky.

In greater detail, Thomas tells us that he hears from Virginia Tech "everyday" with RBs coach Adam Lechtenberg leading the charge as you would expect.

Thomas is one of my favorite running back offers to date as though he isn't currently rated by any recruiting services, I personally see him as a high three-star recruit with the potential to become a four-star recruit with a big senior season.

Thomas also fits what Virginia Tech looks for in terms of versatility with the potential to be used as a runner, receiver, and kick returner. The stats back it up as he had 1,942 rushing yards, 638 receiving yards, 282 return yards, and 36 touchdowns this past

We'll have more on Malachi Thomas soon, but it's clear that the Hokies are a top contender for the talented tailback from Georgia.

3* QB Tahj Bullock

Tahj Bullock has emerged as a priority quarterback target since the Hokies offered him with their heavy pursuit paying off.

Bullock told us that Virginia Tech, Rutgers, and UCLA "stand out a lot" in his recruitment currently. All three schools are in regular contact with him with Bullock taking a virtual visit with UCLA recently and also planning to visit Virginia Tech's campus "this weekend" though he will not be allowed to have contact with any VT football staffers in person for it given the current dead period.

Unsurprisingly, head coach Justin Fuente and offensive coordinator Brad Cornelsen have taken the lead in Bullock's recruitment with Bullock telling us that he is in contact with them "a lot."

Looking ahead, Bullock did tell us that he plans to commit before the start of his senior season, but doesn't have a specific date at this point. More on Tahj Bullock here.