Arguably the biggest recruiting pickup yet for Virginia Tech in the 2018 class came recently in the form of two-sport standout Tre Turner.
The 6-4, 185-pound receiver out of Greensboro’s Northwest Guilford in North Carolina is the ninth commitment for the Hokies. He also became their second commitment from the state of North Carolina this cycle. The Hokies beat out the UNC, Florida, Florida State, Louisville, Miami, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State and several others.
Turner plans to enroll at Virginia Tech in January. Multiple recruiting services rank him as a 4-star prospect; they’ve listed him has high as No. 101 nationally (Rivals.com).
In 2016, Turner caught 52 passes for 1,065 yards and 12 touchdowns. He stayed plenty busy during the winter, too.
As a junior, Turner averaged 15.2 points and six rebounds per game on the basketball court. However, he doesn’t plan to play that sport next season; his focus will shift to strictly football and getting ready for the college level.
In Justin Fuente’s system, having multiple big-play receivers is crucial in the passing game. The Hokies appear to have that for the future with Turner and Darryle Simmons — another 4-star recruit. Turner can be a threat downfield and outside the hashes with the great body control he acquired from playing basketball. Furthermore, he is not afraid to make the difficult plays in traffic to extend drives.
Turner’s commitment strengths a Hokies receiving corps that faces uncertainty once Cam Phillips graduates after this fall. Landing in-state options like Armani Chatman or Darryl Jones, both out of Virginia Beach, is now less imperative.
Virginia Tech’s class now ranks No. 24 nationally, per 247Sports’ composite ratings. The Hokies are fifth in the ACC rankings behind Miami, Florida State, Clemson and Duke.