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Virginia Tech football recruiting: Hokies land three players Sunday for 2023 class

It was a big day for the Hokies, who also added a talented quarterback.

NCAA Football: Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Sunday was a big day for the Virginia Tech Hokies. The men’s basketball team won at the Barclays Center — again. The No. 7 women’s team won. And the wrestling team won.

What was going on with the football team?

Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry held perhaps the most critical recruiting weekend of his one year on the job beginning Friday as the Hokies hosted multiple visitors less than two weeks before college football’s early signing period.

Early indications are Coach Pry crushed the weekend.

As Sunday evening rolled around, Virginia Tech had three more commitments for the 2023 recruiting class, and each of the new additions plan to sign later this month. Something to note with each of these prospects is they were either committed to another school or recently committed to another school.

Let’s check out Virginia Tech’s three new additions.


WR Ayden Greene

Greene is a 6-foot-1, 167-pound wide receiver from Powell High School in Powell, Tennessee. He was previously committed to Cincinnati but backed off his pledge when head coach Luke Fickell departed for Wisconsin. The Hokies were a finalist for Greene before he committed to Cincinnati and always kept in contact. After Fickell departed, the Hokies turned their pursuit into high gear, making him a priority.

The talented wideout held offers from Arkansas, Cincinnati, Mississippi State, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh and others. Greene is a big-time get for the Hokies as they wanted him badly.


RB Jeremiah Coney

Coney is a 6-foot-0, 194-pound running back from Hermitage High in Richmond — the alma mater of Hokie legend Duane Brown and current wide receivers coach Fontel Mines. Coney was committed to Appalachian State but once the Hokies officially offered it was almost a matter of when — not if — he’d be a Hokie. Coney’s film impressive as a running back and linebacker. He’s extremely physical and could stick on either side of the ball. The Hokies see him as a running back.

Coney held 12 reported offers, and there was interest from Iowa late in his recruitment.


QB William “Pop” Watson III

This was a big one for the Hokies. Watson had been committed to Nebraska for a while. Even through the Cornhuskers’ recent coaching change to Matt Rhule, they expected to sign Watson this month. Watson is a 6-foot-0, 175-pound quarterback from Springfield Central High in Springfield, Massachusetts. And yes, Watson is a quarterback. If you watch his film, you see his athleticism. He’s electric. He also has a strong arm.

As a senior in 2022, Watson passed for 2,059 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also rushed for 863 yards and 21 touchdowns. He spoke to Brian Dohn of 247Sports about his commitment.

“The offense plays right into my skill set,” Watson said. “It’s RPOs. I can run, I can pass or I can just hand it to my running back and let him make a play. That offense fits right into my skill set.”

Watson’s skill set fits what the Hokies want to do on offense.


The Hokies now have 22 commitments for the 2023 recruiting class. A few more of the Hokies’ top targets remain on the board. Don’t be surprised if Tech adds up to three more players to this class. The Hokies will also be active in the transfer portal and are working diligently to add help to the 2023 roster.

According to 247Sports, the Hokies now have the No. 33 class for 2023, per the composite rankings.