Virginia Tech Football Recruiting: Latest on 2015 Commits, Visits and Targets

National signing day is not until February, but it's never too early to begin discussing the class of 2016. Currently, the Virginia Tech Hokies have verbal commitments from 16 high school standouts. According to 247Sports, the Hokies rank No. 39 nationally, a number Tech would certainly like to improve upon.

While that number seems low, 247Sports' Barton Simmons sees quite a bit of potential in VT's 2016 class. Virginia Tech has commitments from four wide receivers in the class of 2016, and Simmons is impressed by the size and athleticism of each of these four prospective Hokies. 

Eric Kumah (6'3", 205 lbs), Divine Deablo (6'3", 180 lbs), Phillip Patterson (6'2", 180 lbs) and Samuel Denmark (6'0", 175 lbs) are all potentially very good future receivers for Virginia Tech. While wide receiver depth is an issue this fall, it shouldn't be in 2016. And the Hokies may not be done as they're in the mix for at least one more talented pass-catcher. 

How's everything else shaking out on the recruiting trail for the Hokies? 

Commits

Name	Position	Hometown
Joshua Jackson	QB	Saline, Michigan
Divine Deablo	WR	Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Reggie Floyd	ATH	Manassas, Virginia
Eric Kumah	WR	Woodbridge, Virginia
Phillip Patterson	WR	Virginia Beach, Virginia
Jovonn Quillen	ATH	Hampton, Virginia
Samuel Denmark	WR	Charleston, South Carolina
Jimmie Taylor	DE	Jacksonville, North Carolina
Troy Pride Jr.	CB	Greer, South Carolina
Myles Wolfolk	CB	Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Thomas Jarrett-Hopple	OT	Suffolk, Virginia
Emmanuel Belmar	OLB	Suwanee, Georgia
Tavante Beckett	OLB	Chesapeake, Virginia
Patrick Kearns	OT	Rome, Georgia
Clay Dean	DT	Purcellville, Virginia
Victor Greene	OLB	Spotsylvania, Virginia

In addition to four receivers in next year's class, Tech has also landed a quarterback in 3-star Joshua Jackson out of Saline, Michigan. The dual-threat passer has a solid arm and is a good athlete. He still needs to improve his accuracy, though. Jackson is a bit of a late-bloomer and did not receive a scholarship offer from Michigan or Michigan State.

The Hokies also have loaded up on linebackers. Currently, Tech has commitments from three prospects: Emmanuel Belmar, Tavante Beckett and Victor Greene. All are 3-star prospects with Belmar having the highest ceiling. Beckett could end up at safety in Blacksburg. 

As always is the custom at Virginia Tech, the Hokies have made the secondary a priority. Each year, Tech seemingly finds some talented defensive backs, and 2016 is no exception.

The headliner could be Troy Pride Jr., a cornerback from Greer, South Carolina. He committed to the Hokies in February and has gained more attention from several big-time schools. Tennessee and Notre Dame have recently offered Pride. 

Myles Wolfolk, a 6'0", 190-pound cornerback from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, is another potential future starter for the Hokies. 

Athletes such as Jovonn Quillen and Reggie Floyd could end up in the secondary when they arrive at Virginia Tech next year. Quillen has good size (6'2", 185 lbs), and Floyd is a dynamic athlete. 

The one player to keep an eye on is defensive end Jimmie Taylor of Jacksonville, North Carolina. At 6'3", 220 pounds, he has the type of size Virginia Tech likes in its defensive ends. Taylor can get to Blacksburg and put on some additional muscle once he enters the strength program. He boasts an impressive list of offers including Florida, Michigan and Tennessee, while Florida State has kept an eye on Taylor as well.

Tech has also added a pair of big offensive tackles in Thomas Jarrett Hopple (6'6", 270 lbs) and Patrick Kearns (6'5 ½", 270 lbs). Both are long with big frames who could easily add 30-40 pounds of weight at the next level. Each player projects at offensive tackle in college. 

Targets

The Hokies have several targets remaining on their board. The biggest is Landon Dickerson, a 6'5", 293-pound offensive tackle from Hudson, North Carolina. He is a terrific prospect who could play as a true freshman in 2016. He's a legacy prospect for the Hokies, as his grandfather played at Virginia Tech.

Credit: 247Sports

Dickerson is familiar with Virginia Tech, having been on campus on numerous occasions. While Tech currently leads 247Sports' Crystal Ball predictions, Auburn is a team that is rising in its pursuit of Dickerson. 

Per Keith Niebuhr of 247Sports, Dickerson felt really comfortable at Auburn. 

“I definitely like the small-town part and you know, Coach Malzahn," Dickerson said. "He just seems like a guy that could probably be around here. He doesn’t seem like a big head coach kind of guy.”

Expect Auburn and Florida State to be VT's stiffest competition for Dickerson. The Hokies have lost out on a number of high-profile recruits to the Seminoles in recent years and can't be happy they're involved in Dickerson's recruitment. 

Speaking of FSU and Auburn, it looks like those schools will also battle the Hokies for the signature of defensive end Nick Coe of Asheboro, North Carolina. Coe is a much bigger defensive end at 6'5", 260 pounds and could play as a true freshman. 

Tight end Jovani Haskins, of Bergenfield, New Jersey, is a major priority for the Hokies. The 6'4", 235-pound Haskins is an outstanding athlete and could take over for Bucky Hodges once he leaves for the NFL.

Don't be surprised to see Haskins commit to Tech in the near future.

While the Hokies have four wide receiver commitments in the class of 2016, they'd love to add one more. Grant Holloway, of Chesapeake, Virginia, is VT's top remaining target at the position. Holloway is an elite track performer and is being recruited in that sport too. The Hokies have offered in both football and track and are in a good position to land the speedster if he pursues football at the next level.

Watch out for Florida, Georgia and Oregon in this battle. 

Perhaps Tech's top target is Jaquan Yulee, a linebacker from Indian River High School in Chesapeake, Virginia. The biggest problem in Yulee's recruitment is that he's currently committed to Alabama.

With all the negativity surrounding Frank Beamer in recent years on the recruiting trail, it's tough to see a Nick Saban recruit backing out and flipping to Virginia Tech.

But anything is possible, and the Hokies are working hard to get Yulee on board. 

Odds, Ends and What to Expect

It has been a quiet recruiting cycle this year for Virginia Tech. Last season, the Hokies took more players, and the state was richer in talent. The state of Virginia has only one 5-star in the class of 2016, and that's Virginia Beach defensive back Levonta Taylor—a Florida State pledge. 

If the Hokies could land each of their remaining top targets, it would be a reason to celebrate. The only problem is they are battling some of the nation's elite programs for these players. As the last few years have shown us, the Hokies have struggled to win those battles.

Da'Shawn Hand, Josh Sweat, Jalyn Holmes and Jalen Dalton are just some of the reminders of Tech's inability to close on the recruiting trail. Hand and Sweat, both arguably the top defenders in their respective classes in each of the last two years, were thought to be Virginia Tech leans, only to eliminate the Hokies in favor of Alabama and FSU, respectively. 

In this class, Kareem Felder, a cornerback from Baltimore, originally pledged to VT only to decommit and pledge to Ohio State later. Tech, of course, offered first. 

If Beamer could flip Yulee from Alabama, that would go a long way in helping this class. He is an ideal middle linebacker at the next level and remains interested in Virginia Tech despite his commitment to Alabama. He unofficially visited VT on September 7.

Credit: 247Sports

Dickerson appears to be deciding between the Hokies and Auburn at this point. While it seems like a commitment to Virginia Tech is highly possible, it is just too early to make that assumption. 

The Hokies built their program on signing lesser-recruited players and developing them within their system. This class features several talented prospects who fit that description. 

There's a real possibility this will be Beamer's last recruiting class at Virginia Tech, as his inevitable retirement could come at any time. 

All recruiting rankings and information courtesy of 247Sports.

Bryan Manning covers ACC sports and is the Virginia Tech lead writer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @bdmanning4.