With three-star LB Reid Pulliam jumping on board last week, Virginia Tech's 2022 class is almost all together with the Hokies still having a couple big targets left on the board and some sleeper names to watch. With that said, here's our breakdown of the top remaining 2022 targets to watch for the Hokies.
4* TE Benji Gosnell
Benji Gosnell visited Virginia Tech for their game against Notre Dame and left that visit telling us that the Hokies were the leaders in his recruitment. Since then, Gosnell's recruitment has been quiet though there seems to be no reason to think that the Hokies aren't still the current leader in his recruitment over the Tar Heels.
Gosnell hasn't scheduled his official visits to Virginia Tech and North Carolina yet but did tell us previously that he planned on doing so before making his decision. Early December seems likely for both of those official visits especially with Gosnell looking to make his decision by the Early Signing Day window.
One of the interesting factors with Gosnell is the fact that he is from North Carolina but also has been at Carroll County HS in Virginia this past season. That move likely hurts some of the in-state ties that UNC was hoping to take advantage of while Tech may have more direct root to playing time with James Mitchell potentially NFL bound and not much after Nick Gallo and Drake DeIuliis.
For now, I would put my money on the Hokies to land Gosnell, but there is still plenty of time for things to change with Early Signing Day about six weeks away.
3* LB Tyler Banks
There seemed to be a lot of momentum surrounding Tyler Banks towards Ole Miss, but then Banks took a visit to Virginia Tech for their game against Notre Dame. Since then and in general in his recruitment, Banks has been rather quiet about his recruitment which has left plenty of mystery.
Of course, the Hokies were considered for much of 2021 the favorites for Banks in part because his cousin is former VT LB standout Rayshard Ashby and also since it seemed like Tech had good traction with Banks personally. While that still may be true, Tech was unable to close the deal in the summer though they did stave off pressure at the time from Michigan, Vanderbilt, and others.
However, the emergence of Ole Miss is definitely a fascinating development especially given the strong season they are having and the coaching stability they offer. Banks took his fifth and final official visit to Oxford in September which could give an advantage to Ole Miss, but also could prove beneficial for Virginia Tech given the cost of travelling if Banks wants to take additional visits.
Overall, Banks' recruitment seems wide open between the Hokies and Rebels with room for others to maybe even get involved. This also feels like a recruiting battle that won't be decided till the February signing day potentially.
Late Offers & Flips
The 2022 recruiting cycle may have a couple more twists and turns in part because of the fact that the NCAA has agreed to a rule where teams will be allowed up to 7 transfer additions outside of the 25-scholarship rule. That opens up spots for almost everyone including the Hokies.
Tech has sent out some offers recently including one to WR Ja'Kobi Gillespie who is a Belmont basketball commit but has received multiple Power 5 offers recently. Additionally, Tech extended an offer to three-star CB Christian Harrison who was a Liberty commit but has since decommitted and received several Power 5 offers this fall.
As the fall goes on, some JUCO targets could also start to emerge with defensive end being a spot where the Hokies could try to pursue a player or two. Additionally, Tech has shown lots of interest in Fork Union DE standout Kameron Olds who was a PWO commit for the Hokies last year but is looking for a full-ride scholarship after choosing to go to Fork Union.
Of course, the fact that a coaching change seems very likely would throw lots of things into flux but until then, it's not worth trying to predict.
