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Virginia Tech suffers huge recruiting loss to fledgling 2026 class
Things are looking tough for Virginia Tech on the 2026 recruiting trail.
Head coach Brent Pry's 2025 class is ranked No. 48 in the nation, which is nothing to write home about. Now, his 2026 class just lost its top recruit.
Carnell Warren is a four-star wide receiver from Bluffton, South Carolina, who had been committed to VT since the second day of January.
That's a commitment that no longer stands, as Warren announced Thursday on social media that he's opening his recruitment back up.
"After long thoughts and consideration, I'm opening my recruitment back up. I wanna thank everyone in Blacksburg for everything, it means a lot," he wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
4* WR Carnell Warren decommits from Virginia Tech. Major loss for the #Hokies https://t.co/gJ2ZmSBufS
— Tim Thomas (@TimThomasTLP) June 12, 2025
To say that this is a tough loss for Pry and the Hokies' staff is an understatement. Warren is ranked as the No. 50 wideout in the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Having a top-50 player at a position is no small deal for a program like Virginia Tech that is trying to get back up off the mat. The Hokies went 6-7 last season with a loss in the Duke's Mayo Bowl, and one would imagine another tough campaign could spell disaster for Pry.
He's gone 16-21 in three seasons in Blacksburg.
Warren, of course, would not have impacted the 2025 season, but he did represent a bit of hope for an otherwise underwhelming class. With the loss of his commitment, VT only has two players aboard for 2026, and both are three-star recruits. One is a kicker.
The Hokies, of course, still have time to build a class up, but these results on the recruiting trail are extremely underwhelming for a program that absolutely needs a boost.
More must-reads:
- Praise for Michigan QB Bryce Underwood is high, but the expectations are higher
- Auburn loses commitment from four-star LB JaMichael Garrett
- The 'NFL sack leaders of the last decade' quiz
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Alabama reportedly makes decision on starting QB for 2025 season
The No. 8-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide have reportedly made a huge decision as it relates to the 2025 season. Alabama came into fall camp knowing that there would be a quarterback battle to find out who would be the successor to Jalen Milroe, who was a two-year starter for the Crimson Tide. In the running were redshirt junior Ty Simpson, redshirt freshman Austin Mack and true freshman Keelon Russell. Despite not having a start under his belt in three seasons with the program, Simpson has been seen as the odds-on favorite to win the starting job because of his experience and time in Tuscaloosa. It's not official yet, but Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports is reporting that the decision has been made by head coach Kalen DeBoer. It's going to be Simpson leading the Crimson Tide out of the tunnel for Week 1's huge matchup against Florida State in Tallahassee. Though he's never started a game, Simpson has seen action in 16 contests since joining Alabama as a five-star quarterback out of Martin, Tennessee. He was recruited by Nick Saban to come to Tuscaloosa and chose the Crimson Tide over the likes of Tennessee and Clemson. According to the 247Sports Composite, he was the No. 3 quarterback in the 2022 class. Only Cade Klubnik (Clemson) and Conner Weigman (Texas A M) were ranked higher. Simpson has completed 29-of-50 career attempts with no touchdowns and no interceptions thrown, so he's nearly a blank slate for DeBoer and the Alabama offense.
Former crew chief frustrated by the 'ridiculous' racing at Watkins Glen
It is no secret that NASCAR's current road-course package has not been very good. Aside from the mile-and-a-half tracks that were once the least competitive and exciting in the series, those races are the rare bright spot for the Next Gen Car since its inception in 2022. Shane van Gisbergen drove away to an 11.1-second win over Christopher Bell in Sunday's race at Watkins Glen and set multiple records in the process. While the racing was not particularly exciting, that was not what left former crew chief and current analyst Steve Letarte frustrated the most following the weekend. A recurring issue in each race over the weekend was drivers utilizing the runoff areas around the track and not staying on the traditional racing surface, which ultimately led to some crashes in Saturday's Xfinity race. "So, I hate track limits that have to be officiated," Letarte said on "Inside the Race." "Because I like tracks that you should just stay on the track. I didn't think it mattered. Now, I am team get-them-back-on-the-race-track-at-Watkins-Glen. I don't love the Watkins Glen that I see. ... I think Turn 1 is not as great of a corner with no exit respect or responsibility. You just blow the exit. I think the carousel is a much easier corner, being able to just go driver's left. "I also think Turn 6 is going — let me add, that I think the (Connor) Zilisch, SVG wreck between the last two corners (in the Xfinity Series race) happened because they left the track, and the Austin Hill wreck with Michael McDowell happened off the race track. Now, both could have been avoided, we can talk about who's at fault. What I'm saying is, I've never driven a lap at Watkins Glen. I can analyze what happens between the white lines." This comes one year after rumble strips were placed in Turn 1 to keep drivers from using the runoff area, and that clearly has not worked. As the field has got closer together, using up all the track has become a common way for drivers to establish momentum, especially as they prepare for the right-hander going into The Esses at Watkins Glen. The bottom line is NASCAR's road-racing product needs to get better and Letarte wants to see race cars "stay on the race track because I think it will be a better race." Van Gisbergen's historic dominance certainly does not help, but the overall road course product is not great. Whether NASCAR makes some changes to the runoff areas and enforces track limits remains to be seen, but that still may not be the biggest issue if the racing does not improve.
Browns may not be prepared for one thing with Shedeur Sanders
During a recent edition of the "Orange and Brown Talk Podcast," Cleveland Browns beat reporter Ashley Bastock of the Cleveland Plain Dealer suggested that Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski may not be prepared for the "potential fan backlash" that could arise regarding the team's handling of rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Stefanski seemed to say plenty about the subject when it was learned on Monday that Sanders remains fourth on the club's unofficial depth chart even though he enjoyed a solid NFL debut in the club's preseason opener at the Carolina Panthers on Friday night. Also on Monday, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer made it known that Stefanski won't be in a rush to play Sanders or fellow first-year pro Dillon Gabriel ahead of schedule. "Stefanski and the other offensive coaches have a plan for the rookie QBs, and they’re not about to be swayed by public opinion and the Sanders-mania that’s sweeping the nation," Cabot wrote. "Yes, it was a great debut against the Panthers with two beautiful touchdown passes to first-year receiver Kaden Davis. But Stefanski always keeps things simple for his rookie quarterbacks in preseason games, and most have looked excellent in their outings under him. Therefore, he wasn’t ready Monday to start handing over those precious starting reps to Sanders when he’s unlikely to start Week 1 and doesn’t necessarily need that valuable time with the ones — yet." Neither Gabriel nor presumed backup Kenny Pickett played against the Panthers after they were slowed by hamstring injuries during training camp. Meanwhile, Sanders completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in Cleveland's 30-10 victory over Carolina. Gabriel returned to the practice field on Monday, but Pickett reportedly could be sidelined "for a couple more weeks." It's unclear if either signal-caller will play in Cleveland's preseason matchup at the Philadelphia Eagles this coming Saturday. "They have had a process with Shedeur all the way through," Cabot added during the latest episode of the podcast. "And even when they were taking heat nationally from all kinds of pundits and experts saying that they were setting Shedeur up to fail, they stuck to their guns. And even after his really, really nice debut, they really haven’t changed the process." As recently as Tuesday morning, Zac Jackson of The Athletic mentioned that veteran Joe Flacco is still "the clear leader" to be Cleveland's Week 1 starter over Sanders, Gabriel and Pickett. As of Tuesday morning, FanDuel Sportsbook had Flacco as a -310 betting favorite to get the nod for the Browns' regular-season opener versus the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. Previous whispers indicated Stefanski will want to name his Week 1 QB1 before Cleveland wraps the preseason up with a home game against the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 23. It certainly sounds like Stefanski won't lose any sleep over disappointing members of a passionate fan base who want to see what Sanders can do against live defenses in meaningful contests.
Packers' injury issues go well beyond just QB Jordan Love
The big injury news for the Green Bay Packers on Tuesday involved starting quarterback Jordan Love. That is not their only concern. While Love is expected to be sidelined for at least the next week, the Packers are also dealing with a growing list of injuries at wide receiver, and that list added another name on Tuesday. Wide receiver Romeo Doubs left Tuesday's practice after getting tangled up with a defensive back on a deep pass attempt. While he said he should be okay, it is still a big concern because the Packers are already dealing with injuries to fellow wide receivers Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks. Watson's injury is, at the moment, the most significant of them as he is likely to begin the regular season on the physically unable to perform list. Overall, that is pretty much every one of the Packers' top returning wide receivers on the injured list. The problem is that by missing extended training camp and preseason time, especially when Love is also sidelined, they are missing a lot of key practice reps and preseason work that could be getting them ready for the season, especially when so many of the wide receivers are relatively unproven and still pretty inexperienced NFL players. Given how tough the NFC North is expected to be, the Packers cannot afford to get off to a slow start. Not only are they going to be dealing with an offensive lineup that may not be 100% healthy at the most important positions, they also open the season with two NFC opponents in the first five days of the campaign, with games against the Detroit Lions (Sept. 7) and Washington Commanders (Sept. 11). That is a grueling start to the season under normal conditions. But when you add in the short week, as well as the injury situation, it is clear this is going to be a massive test for the Packers early on.
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