Head coach James Franklin’s Virginia Tech rebuild is starting to look very familiar to Penn State fans. Since arriving in Blacksburg, the new Hokies head coach has leaned heavily on pre-existing relationships, even convincing four-star tight end Pierce Petersohn to follow him after backing off his Penn State pledge. That flip, plus a string of other offensive additions, has turned VT’s 2026 class into one of the more intriguing long-term projects in the ACC.
Now, Franklin has added a true cornerstone piece in the trenches. Class of 2026 offensive tackle Maddox Cochrane has committed to Virginia Tech, he told Hays Fawcett of Rivals.
Fawcett reported on X, formerly Twitter, that the 6-foot-7, 285-pound tackle from Midlothian, Virginia, had been pledged to Wisconsin since January before deciding to stay home and join the Hokies. It is a major in-state win, and exactly the kind of recruiting battle VT has struggled to win consistently in recent years…