Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Brent Pry. Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech suffers huge recruiting loss to fledgling 2026 class

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Jun 13, 2025 10:09 AM ET

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.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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