Virginia Tech football recruiting: Hokies flip in-state DT T-Ron Richardson from Oklahoma

The Virginia Tech Hokies added another member to their 2026 recruiting class on Wednesday, landing a commitment from defensive tackle T-Ron Richardson. The 6-foot-3, 295-pound Richardson is from Hopewell, Virginia, where he plays at Hopewell High School.

Virginia Tech was a major player in Richardson’s recruitment under former head coach Brent Pry. However, Oklahoma swooped in over the summer, landing Richardson’s commitment on August 26. The Hokies hosted Richardson on an official visit in June. New head coach James Franklin has long been a fan of Richardson, too. Franklin hosted Richardson for an official visit at Penn State in June.

When Franklin took over as Virginia Tech’s coach two weeks ago, he scheduled two huge recruiting weekends before the dead period and the early signing day with top targets. Richardson was one of those top targets and was back in Blacksburg for a second official visit over the weekend.

On Monday, Richardson decommitted from Oklahoma, and the Hokies instantly became the favorite to land him. Ole Miss pushed, too, but it was Richardson’s love of Blacksburg and his relationship with Franklin that pushed the Hokies over the top.

If you watch Richardson, you see a player who could help right now. He has college-ready strength and plays offense and defense for Hopewell. He’ll be a defensive tackle for the Hokies. Richardson has unbelievable strength and is underrated from an evaluation standpoint. It feels criminal that he’s only a 3-star recruit. That could — and should — change.

Hopewell puts out a lot of talent and hasn’t been kind to the Hokies in recent years. So, that’s another win for Franklin. Current New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson played at Hopewell before playing collegiately at Ohio State.

Welcome home, T-Ron.