Virginia Tech football: Three-star DB Jalen Stroman commits to the Hokies

The Virginia Tech Hokies picked up their seventh commitment in the class of 2021 on Friday evening when three-star defensive back Jalen Stroman made his pledge official.

If the name sounds familiar it’s because Stroman is the younger brother of former Hokie cornerback, Greg Stroman. The older Stroman is entering his third season in the NFL with the Washington Redskins in 2020.

Back to Jalen Stroman. A 6-foot-1, 190-pound defensive back/wide receiver from Patriot High School in Nokesville, Va., Stroman projects as a safety for the Hokies once he arrives in Blacksburg.

He picked Virginia Tech over his other finalists; Duke and Virginia.

So, what are the Hokies getting in the younger Stroman?

Jalen is bigger than his brother. Greg Stroman was small coming out of high school. While he had tremendous athleticism and he was a physical player for his size, he was always going to be a corner. The younger Stroman is not only bigger, but a physical presence, too.

Jalen Stroman could play free safety or the rover position in college. He can easily add 10-15 pounds of muscle without sacrificing too much athleticism. He is a sound tackler who can also make an impact in the passing game

Without knowing exactly what type of scheme new defensive coordinator Justin Hamilton is going to run, Stroman projects just as a safety right now. However, he has shown the ability to play either spot in high school and that should translate to the next level.

Hamilton was certainly excited about the addition of Stroman, referring to one of his own tweets from March.

This is a good addition for the Hokies. Sure, the coaching staff is familiar with Stroman because of his brother, but these are the types of evaluations the Hokies have always done well with. Stroman is a good player who is also on the rise.

He is the second player from the state of Virginia to commit to Virginia Tech in the past seven days, joining Jaylen Jones, who committed last Friday.