Virginia Tech football: Hokies pick up another commitment

For the second time this week, the Virginia Tech Hokies picked up a football commitment. This time, defensive tackle Tyas Martin made his pledge to the Hokies.

Martin, a 6-foot-3, 318-pound defensive tackle, is a three-star recruit from Jacksonville, Ark. He picked the Hokies over Tennessee, Kansas and Southern Mississippi.

The first thing that stands out about Martin is his massive size. Virginia Tech fans are accustomed to former defensive coordinator Bud Foster recruiting lighter defensive tackles. That trend is changing under new boss, Justin Hamilton.

Martin picked the Hokies despite never stepping foot on campus. The COVID-19 pandemic has made recruiting a bit more challenging this spring, but the Hokies are doing an outstanding job of selling Virginia Tech through its virtual tours and consistent communication.

In the brief highlights I’ve seen of Martin you see a dominant force on the interior of the defensive line. High school offensive linemen have proved to be no match for Martin and his pass-rushing moves are improving, too. This is a commitment the Hokies should be happy about as his profile could continue to grow once his senior season gets underway.

Martin joins Latrell Neville of Texas as the second commitment of this week and third in eight days. As we stated on Sunday, we could see even more news coming soon.

While Virginia Tech fans certainly have the right to be disappointed about missing out on the top in-state players, there is something special going on with kids from other states. And if Virginia players do not want to come to Blacksburg, there’s plenty of talent in other states who do want to be a Hokie.

Martin is commitment No. 6 in Virginia Tech’s 2022 class.