Virginia Tech Football Recruiting: Class of 2027 Safety Derek Fisher to Make Fall Visit

Fisher, the cousin of former Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick, possesses offers from 14 schools, per his Rivals page. Five of those offers hail from the ACC: Duke, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. Fisher previously took an unofficial visit to Blacksburg on June 20; this visit will be official, with the specific day yet to be determined.

Fisher currently ranks as the No. 2 safety in the Commonwealth, only behind Kenaz Sullivan (No. 9 in Virginia) of North Stafford. On 247Sports Composite, he sits as the No. 42 safety in the country, No. 12 of all Virginia recruits in the 2027 class and No. 450 nationally.

So far, the Hokies do not have any commitments from the Class of 2027, but only 10 ACC schools do, as of July 29. Miami and Syracuse leading the way at four apiece. Fisher also was offered by the college where Vick now coaches at, Norfolk State.

Looking back at the Class of 2026, Virginia Tech remains at the bottom in 17th, when it comes to 247Sports' recruiting rankings, with only nine commits and one four-star. The next three closest schools in terms of recruitment numbers are Virginia (13) then Duke and NC State (18). Though there is undoubtedly time for the Hokies to turn things around, it has been a clear step back from the their previous recruiting classes.

Looking back at Tech's past four recruiting classes, they finished at No. 9 in 2025, No. 10 in 2024, No. 6 in 2023 and No. 5 in 2022. The last time that the Hokies ended up outside the conference's top-10 in 247Sports' recruiting rankings was 2020. Though it's not a realistic proposition for Tech to nab a five-star blue-chip prospect, which hasn't happened since 2013 with Kendall Fuller, securing the commitments of more four-star prospects ready to contribute significant snaps off the bat is crucial in today's era.

Though the transfer portal has thrown a wrench into the college football landscape in recent years, the Hokies have performed adequately in the recruiting cycle. That hasn't happened this cycle. If it's a one-year blip, it will be one easier to stomach, considering how heavily Tech utilized the portal this offseason. But if this trend continues and turns into a multi‑year issue, it becomes another hurdle that the Hokies' head coach Brent Pry must overcome.