Virginia Tech signed 19 high school players to Letters of Intent on Tuesday. Known for their recruiting prowess inside Virginia’s borders, the Hokies signed just six players from the Commonwealth of Virginia this year. Included in this number is Todd Nolen, who originally signed with Tech last February but spent a season at Fork Union Military Academy and re-signed with Tech. These 19 players join 2006 signees Devin Radford and Aaron Brown, who enrolled in January.

Unlike previous years, there was no drama on signing day. No recruits decommitted from the Hokies (or to the Hokies), and no new recruits committed to Virginia Tech on signing day.

Heading up Virginia Tech’s group of in-state recruits is Meadowbrook High School defensive end John Graves, who is the #5 player in the state by TSL's in-state rankings. Graves was long considered a Virginia lean, but ultimately chose the Hokies over the Cavaliers and numerous other programs.

Another highly-rated in-state player the Hokies signed is Phoebus High School linebacker Matt Wright, the brother of current Tech free safety D.J. Parker. Wright is rated #11 in Virginia by TechSideline.com, and he continues the long tradition of Phoebus players to play at Virginia Tech. Former Phoebus players currently on Tech’s team are Xavier Adibi, D.J. Parker and Elan Lewis.

The Hokies also grabbed defensive tackle Daryl Robertson from Liberty (Bedford). Robertson is the #14 player in the state. Tech also got commitments from ATH Kam Chancellor (#24) and OL Beau Warren (#27).

Graves and Robertson are part of an outstanding defensive line class. The Hokies also landed four-star defensive end Jason Adjepong and three-star defensive end Mike Gee from the state of New Jersey. That trio of players makes up one of the top defensive end classes in the nation. At defensive tackle, Tech grabbed Ladi Ajiboye, a former South Carolina commit, out of the state of Georgia. The Hokies also got a late commitment from unheralded defensive tackle prospect Joey Hall from the state of North Carolina.

In addition to Adjepong and Gee, the Hokies signed ATH Zach Luckett from New Jersey. Luckett is a highly versatile player who can play a number of different positions. He is expected to start his Tech career at wide receiver, but he could also play safety, rover, or possibly whip linebacker.

Virginia Tech also headed into the state of Maryland, where they signed four players. Nekos Brown will play alongside Matt Wright at linebacker. Rashad Carmichael chose the Hokies early in the process and many consider him to be Tech’s most undervalued prospect. Also headed to Blacksburg from the state of Maryland are wide receiver Douglas McNeil and tight end Andre Smith.

Virginia Tech was forced to go out of state this year because so many Virginia prospects were looking to leave the state. As a result, the Hokies signed four players from North Carolina, four from Maryland, three from New Jersey, two from Georgia and two from Ohio. For a complete list of Virginia Tech signees, see below.

2006 Virginia Tech Football Recruiting Class (including Devin Radford and Aaron Brown, who enrolled in January) (not including Todd Nolen, who originally signed in Feb. 2005)
Stars	Pos	Name	Ht	Wt	Hometown	State
	FB	Sutton, Devven	6-1	237	Elizabeth City	NC
	WR	Sykes, Jacob	6-0	180	Goldsboro	NC
	WR	McNeil, Douglas	6-4	190	Owings Mills	MD
	TE	Smith, Andre	6-4	235	Germantown	MD
	OL	Brown, Aaron	6-6	285	Cincinnati	OH
	OL	Crum, Clark	6-7	280	Dublin	OH
	OL	Warren, Beau	6-4	250	Clifton	VA
	DT	Ajiboye, Olufemi	6-2	290	College Park	GA
	DT	Hall, Joey	6-3	250	Sanford	NC
	DT	Robertson, Daryl	6-3	285	Bedford	VA
	DE	Graves, John	6-3	240	Richmond	VA
	DE	Adjepong, Jason	6-3	245	Carteret	NJ
	DE	Gee, Mike	6-2	240	Englewood	NJ
	LB	Brown, Nekos	6-3	225	Waldorf	MD
	LB	Wright, Matt	6-2	213	Hampton	VA
	S	Edwards, Mario	6-2	192	Atlanta	GA
	ATH	Carmichael, Rashad	5-9	175	Brandywine	MD
	ATH	Luckett, Zach	6-3	205	Absecon	NJ
	ATH	Radford, Devin	5-8	175	Fayetteville	NC
	ATH	Chancellor, Kam	6-4	215	Norfolk	VA

In the coming days and weeks, TechSideline.com will bring you detailed analysis and commentary on the class and the recruiting process. Stay tuned, and subscribe to TSL Pass to learn all about the new batch of recruits.