Recruiting has been dead for Virginia Tech since the Hokies fired Brent Pry last month. We’ve seen decommitments, and there hasn’t been much news about visitors. On Wednesday, the Hokies landed a surprise commitment when tight end Isaiah Pina went public with his commitment to Virginia Tech.
Pina is a 6-foot-6, 225-pound tight end from South Lake High School in Groveland, Florida. Pina actually visited Blacksburg early in the season, when Pry was still the head coach, for the Vanderbilt game in Week 2. A two-sport star, Pina starred on the basketball court before giving football a try in 2024.
Pina’s coaches had seen raw football talent for years, but he had focused only on basketball. When he did give football a chance in a 7-on-7 game, everything changed. He dominated and realized that football was the key to getting him to the next level. Pina had interest from colleges for basketball, too.
The Hokies were in on Pina early, offering him a scholarship before his first official game. In fact, Virginia Tech was the first Power 4 football offer.
Pina wouldn’t be the first basketball player to transition to football, specifically the tight end position. Two Hall of Famers, Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates, come to mind.
In Pina’s commitment tweet, he named tight ends coach Brent Davis, not interim coach Philip Montgomery. Pina is commitment No. 9 in the 2026 class for the Hokies. Tech has had multiple decommits since Pry’s firing, most notably four-star offensive tackle Thomas Wilder.
The Hokies have five games remaining in the 2025 season. Generally, teams like to have a head coach in place in late November to keep the recruiting class in place, mine for potential flips and focus on the transfer portal.
