Recruiting players for the class of 2025 has been going very well of late for Virginia Tech football coach Brent Pry, who recently secured commitments from cornerback Sheldon Robinson and defensive lineman Christian Evans.
Two weeks after Virginia Tech committed to Robinson, the three-star quarterback in the Class of 2025 had a decision to make about his future, ultimately resulting in a battle between Virginia Tech and the University of South Carolina with the Hokies winning for the coveted A.J. Brand.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Bland, a native of South Carolina, home of Shane Beamer, chose the Hokies over the Gamecocks, Oregon State, Charlotte and Miami. Last week's 247Sports Crystal Ball Prediction projected Bland to commit to Virginia Tech over South Carolina after taking his official visit on June 7. He also had interest from the University of North Carolina.
Brand, a star at Irmo High School, is the No. 20 player in the state of South Carolina and joins classmate and Virginia Tech-bound Kelden Ryan, a DeSoto, Texas, native, as Pry's two quarterbacks in the Class of 2025. Brand told 247Sports he was impressed during a visit to Blacksburg earlier this month, where he got to know offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen and interacted with current Hokies quarterback Kyron Draughns.
“It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed everything about it. I got to interact with the players, coaches and other freshmen. I ate a lot and spent time with my family.”
– AJ Brand
This brings Virginia Tech's total acceptances to this class to eight, with more decisions expected to be made soon as this weekend is packed with priority admissions offers and the deadline for official visits looms.
