When Brent Pry took over as Virginia Tech’s football coach, replacing Justin Fuente, he recognized that improving in-state recruiting was a key area where Fuente had fallen short. While Pry has certainly made progress, some might argue that the improvements haven’t been as significant as needed.
The most recent setback happened Thursday night when Leesburg offensive lineman Carter Scruggs—a four-star recruit and the seventh-ranked player in the Class of 2026—chose Clemson over Michigan, Penn State, Georgia, and Oklahoma. Notably, Virginia Tech was absent from his top five schools.
Virginia Tech losing in-state recruit to ACC rival is another sign that recruiting in the Commonwealth is not where it needs to be
Losing a recruiting battle within your own state to a rival is tough, but it’s even more frustrating when a powerhouse program from your own conference comes into Virginia and wins that fight. Honestly, is anyone really surprised?
Some will say Virginia Tech was never a real contender for Carter Scruggs—and maybe that’s true—but the fact that Power 4 conference schools are coming into your backyard and closing out top recruits shouldn’t be ignored.
I will be committing live today at 6:30 pm. You can watch it here
https://t.co/ECktv6zRsD pic.twitter.com/iHFzWPaExQ
— Carter Scruggs (@CarterScruggs_) June 5, 2025
Clemson is Clemson, and Dabo Swinney will likely continue to have the edge over Pry and Virginia Tech—at least until something changes. Pry has done well bringing Virginia talent back through the transfer portal to finish their college careers, but now he needs to start winning those recruiting battles early, while the players are still in high school.
This is a red flag, especially now as commitment season is underway, and it’s something worth watching closely. If Virginia Tech is going to turn the program around under Pry, this trend has to be reversed.
