St. Peter Prep's Jevon Ledgister (12) is guarded by Paramus Catholic's Austin Barrett (1) during a high school football game between St. Peter’s Prep and Paramus Catholic in Jersey City on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tuesday was a busy day for Virginia Tech. Things got started on Tuesday morning when three-star cornerback Austin Barrett announced his commitment to the Hokies.

#AGTG i am blessed to officially say i have shut down my recruitment because i am 10000% Committed!! @coachjfranklin @NIckPerry_27 @_VicHall @On3 @kolby_crawford @EvanGWatkins247 @AABonNBC pic.twitter.com/gHQ7xez2IY
— Austin Barrett (@Austin_Barrett9) June 2, 2026

The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Barrett plays high school football at Paramus Catholic in Paramus, New Jersey. Barrett is considered the No. 36 cornerback in the nation, per 247Sports, and the No. 12 overall player in New Jersey.

Barrett chose the Hokies over Virginia, West Virginia and others.

“I am choosing Virginia Tech because they truly made me understand what the quote ‘this is home’ feels like,” Barrett told Evan Watkins of 247Sports. “I love my relationship with the coaches, and I believe they are going to rebuild this program and do something amazing. I want to be a part and help this program rebuild to where it was years ago.”

The day was just getting started.

Shortly after Barrett’s commitment, news broke that Virginia Tech had announced the formation of Hokie Ventures.

What is Hokie Ventures?

We’ll let Virginia Tech’s official website explain:

The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors has approved an affiliation agreement with the newly created Hokie Ventures, a nonprofit corporation that will support the long-term growth and competitiveness of Virginia Tech Athletics through modernized revenue generation, strategic investments and athletics donor relations.

Hokie Ventures is designed to create greater flexibility and strategic agility as college athletics continues to undergo rapid transformation driven by revenue sharing, Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), media rights evolution and changing governance models nationally.

To break it down, this is tremendous news for Virginia Tech Athletics, especially the football program. Shortly after, it was revealed that the Hokies had received a record-breaking donation. More on that once the details are revealed.

Finally, back to the gridiron, as head coach James Franklin landed yet another commitment. Dylan Latell, a 6-foot-6, 295-pound offensive tackle from Girard High School (Ohio), chose the Hokies over defending national champion Indiana, Minnesota, Pittsburgh and Kentucky.

“It was amazing,” Latell told Greg Smith of Rivals about his official visit. “I would say what stood out for me the most is how strong the character is there. From coaches to players, there is a very strong bond and chemistry going on. You can tell they truly care about your development on and off the field.”

Barrett and Latell are the 18th and 19th commitments for Virginia Tech’s 2027 recruiting class, which 247Sports currently ranks No. 9 in the country.

A great day for the Virginia Tech Hokies, who have had a lot of them recently. We’ll have more on Hokie Ventures, including the donation, once more details are revealed.

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