Virginia Tech football: 3-star S Malcolm Jones decommits from Hokies

On Monday, the Virginia Tech Hokies lost their third commitment from the 2022 recruiting class when three-star safety Malcolm Jones announced his de-commitment via Twitter.

Jones is a 6-foot-1, 185-pound safety prospect from Lee County High School in Leesburg, Georgia. He initially committed to Virginia Tech on June 21 after visiting Blacksburg on an official June 19.

According to the 247Sports’ Crystal Ball, Michigan State is the expected landing spot for Jones.

This is a bummer. Forget Jones’ star ranking for a moment and remember at one time he wasn’t even ranked. He can play. He’s athletic and physical. He was one of my favorites of every Virginia Tech commitment the Hokies landed this cycle. If you watch Jones, he jumps out at you and plays in the talent-rich state of Georgia.

He was one of four players in this class from the state of Georgia, joining quarterback Devin Farrell, tight end Daequan Wright and wide receiver Tucker Holloway. I really like all three prospects, and hopefully, the Hokies land all three on signing day. While Farrell and Holloway appear on track to sign Wednesday during the early signing period, there’s talk that Wright will wait until February, once head coach Brent Pry finalizes the offensive coaching staff.

While it’s disappointing the entire coaching staff isn’t finalized, it likely means the remaining coaches Pry would like to hire are either in the NFL, such as soon-to-be offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen or are in the College Football Playoff.

Jones joins defensive lineman DeAndre Martin and offensive tackle Jakson LaHue as players who’ve backed off their pledge to Virginia Tech since Pry’s hiring.

While I’m not too worried about losing LaHue, I really liked Martin as a prospect. He chose South Carolina, his other finalist back in the summer when he picked the Hokies.

We’ll have complete coverage of Early Signing Day on Wednesday.