National Signing Day commences tomorrow and Virginia Tech has seventeen commitments as it stands now. There could always be players that flip from other schools or players that de-commit, so expect that number to change.

In recent history, the Hokies have suffered two major decommitments from four-star recruits. Class of 2026 quarterback Peyton Falzone de-committed from the program within the past week, granted, Falzone will not sign anywhere tomorrow because he is not in the Class of 2026. In September however, four-star wide receiver Matthew Outten de-committed from Virginia Tech and flipped his commitment to Penn State.

So what are the storylines to watch ahead of National Signing Day for Virginia Tech?

Michigan State commit Aydan West and Georgia commit Dennis Ozuchukwu have both visited Virginia Tech within the past month. The Hokies have been known in the past to flip players commitments from other schools and a potential three-star commitment like West or Ozuchukwu could make a big difference in Virginia Tech’s class.

After Robinson’s commitment to Virginia Tech, he has taken official visits to both Virginia and Duke. Robinson could be a candidate to flip on signing day. Robinson’s school does not allow him to graduate early and he is not planning to enroll early. Robinson would make a huge impact at Virginia Tech and he has built relationships with other recruits in the class like Brett Clatterbaugh, AJ Brand, and Micah Matthews.

Kenan is set to announce his commitment tomorrow, and Virginia Tech is on his final list of schools alongside Vanderbilt, Virginia, and NC State. Three different 247Sports analysts have predicted that Kenan will commit to Vanderbilt, but he could always land at Virginia Tech tomorrow.

Additional Links:

Virginia Tech Football: Positions Virginia Tech Should Target in the Transfer Portal

The Briefing: Hokies Clinch Bowl Eligibility After 37-17 Win Over UVA

Virginia Tech Football: 5 Takeaways From Hokies Win Against Virginia

SPRINGFIELD, Va. – The ashes of a pilot and a puppy killed in a plane crash last month were brought to the pilot’s family in Northern Virginia.

The 5-month-old puppy’s name is Lisa. She was being taken to New York for a second chance at life but sadly, she was killed along with 49-year-old Seuk Kim — the generous volunteer pilot transporting her and two other dogs from Maryland to Albany. 

The family of Kim, a father from Springfield, received Lisa’s ashes. They told FOX 5 that since the puppy and pilot tragically died together, it meant a lot to get their ashes reunited.

“It was very emotional. The kids were very strong,” Seuk’s brother Sejin Kim said. 

On Sunday, volunteer pilot Chris Moon – a friend of Seuk – flew from Virginia to Albany to bring back the puppy’s ashes. 

Kim’s sons were the ones who greeted Moon and received the ashes at Leesburg Executive Airport.  It was all made possible by Forever Changed Animal Rescue. 

Sejin Kim told FOX 5 that Lisa represented so much of his brother’s passion and commitment to animals as this one flight was one of dozens of volunteer missions. 

Virginia father dies in New York plane crash while transporting rescue dogs

“He transported hundreds of dogs to different adoption agencies, being euthanized,” Sejin said. “Since this accident…he changed my mindset. We are getting support from all around the world.” 

Seuk was piloting a small aircraft carrying three rescue dogs on Sunday, Nov. 24 when he lost control and crashed into a wooded area about 35 miles from his destination in Albany. NY authorities say there was poor visibility that day. 

The two other dogs on board the plane survived the crash and have been getting medical attention 

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are still investigating the crash.

Family says a memorial for Seuk is planned for Thursday. They are hoping to bury Lisa next to him.

West Virginia now needs a new head football coach with the firing of Neal Brown.

Brown spent six seasons atop the football program and finished his time with a 37-35 record. The Kentucky native was just 25-28 in Big 12 Conference play and following a 9-4 season a year ago, finished at 6-6.

That disappointing end-of-season mark coupled with the struggles against ranked opponents at 3-17 overall made the decision, albeit costly at $9.7 million, a necessary one.

And that national search is already underway per Athletic Director Wren Baker.

“I am confident that with the strong alignment among the University leadership, our passionate supporters, our proud history, and our willingness to invest, we will have an outstanding pool of candidates,” he wrote.

Baker, who took his position in November of 2022, has already overseen one major coaching change in the basketball program with the transition from head coach Bob Huggins to interim head coach Josh Eilert to the current head coach Darian DeVries.

By the early returns, that has played out quite smoothly for the Mountaineers as DeVries led his team to wins over No. 3 Gonzaga and No. 24 Arizona in his first year to finish third in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament.

And looking back at what Baker has previously outlined as his criteria when it comes to coaching it seems that some things will have value over others.

During the basketball search, Baker outlined that an understanding of the state and its people was a priority on top of a strong leader who is willing to adapt to the ever-changing college landscape.

The Athletic Director also admitted that during his search to fill the basketball post, a current head coach would receive priority because of the adjustment to learn on the job.

“You really don’t know what comes with that job until you sit in that chair,” he said at the time.

Now that doesn’t rule out assistants by any means, but is at least an interesting point.

It goes without saying that a demonstrated track record of success is going to be critical, preferably at the Division One level, given the challenges of winning at the Power Four level.

And while football is a little different than basketball, you could expect that many of these same things will hold true when it comes to tabbing the 35th head coach in program history.