Three Recruits Mike Young Should Track for Virginia Tech Basketball's Class of 2026

Head coach Mike Young faces a pivotal 2026 recruiting cycle. Here’s a look at three prospects he should draw to Blacksburg to potentially better the program’s future.

Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young communicates with his team playing Clemson during the first half at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. | Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Though the 2025 season hasn’t started yet, pockets of attention already lay on the upcoming recruiting class. Last cycle set the foundation, but this next group could be critical in shaping Virginia Tech’s future under Mike Young. With key players like Tobi Lawal and Jailen Bedford eventually moving on, the Hokies need to secure prospects who can step in and sustain — or elevate — the program’s momentum. Whether it’s adding frontcourt depth, finding a dynamic wing, or landing a versatile guard who fits Young’s system, this recruiting class offers a chance to reinforce Tech’s trajectory and keep the Hokies competitive in an evolving ACC landscape.

The 2025 recruiting class was a rather successful one; the Hokies landed the commitments of two players inside 247 Sports' top 150 recruits: Christian Gurdak (No. 114) and Sin'Cere Jones (No. 146). The last time that happened? 2017, headlined by Nickeil Alexander-Walker (No. 37). Alexander-Walker is the best prospect from high school, rankings-wise, that Tech has landed in the past decade. On 247 Sports' board, the Hokies usually land one player between the range of No. 70 to No. 130, giving them a plethora of solid options.

Here's what the current roster looks like:

Guards: Ben Hammond (So.), Izaiah Pasha (So.), Jailen Bedford (Sr.), Brett Freeman (Fr.), Jaden Schutt (r-Jr.), Shamarius Peterkin (Fr.)*

Forwards: Tyler Johnson (So.), Sin'Cere Jones (Fr.), Neoklis Avdalas (Fr.), Amani Hansberry (Jr.), Tobi Lawal (Sr.)

Centers: Christian Gurdak (Fr.), Solomon Davis (Fr.), Antonio Dorn (Fr.)

Note: Peterkin is also slated to be on the football team this fall.

Eligibility-wise, the main two pieces to pay attention to are Bedford and Lawal, who will both exhaust their eligibility after this season, barring a redshirt. Dorn is also an interesting case, since the NCAA has not officially decided his eligibility yet due to his age; Dorn is 22. With that, the 2026 recruiting class has three key areas to fill:

Area #1: Address the power forward slot and attempt to find a long-term option; Hansberry graduates after the 2026-27 season.

Area #2: Secure the services of a wing or combo guard to replace Bedford.

Area #3 (this only applies if Dorn's eligiblity runs out after this season): Grab a third center to shore up the depth chart and protect against injuries or foul trouble.

Area #1: Shane Pendergrass (Va./Md.) (4* PF, No. 125 (247 Sports), No. 109 (247 Sports Composite))

2026 6'8 Shane Pendergrass#PhenomHoops @_shanep

Offers: East Carolina, Virginia Tech, George Mason, George Washington, Duquesne, California, La Salle, Seton Hall, Grambling, Norfolk State

No visits have been set as of yet@HargraveHoops @Coach_Rick57 @colbylewis20 @POBScout… pic.twitter.com/x5a20cm0Ru

— Patrick O'Brien (@POBScout) July 2, 2025

For Pendergrass, the primary selling point that the Hokies can emphasize over any other ACC squad is undoubtedly proximity. Blacksburg sits just about four and a half hours from his hometown of Lanham, Md., a comfortable drive that allows family and friends to make the trip to see him play but that is far enough to allow Pendergrass space. That kind of accessibility is often a huge advantage for colleges coveting regional prospects. As noted by Phenom Hoops' Patrick O'Brien, the only other ACC program currently in the mix is California.

The distance between Chatham and Berkeley is around 41 hours by car, underscoring just how dramatically more convenient Virginia Tech would be from a location standpoint. It’s the sort of logistical edge that could prove decisive in a recruiting battle, giving the Hokies a strong card to play as they continue to court one of the top in-state talents. Pendergrass currently ranks No. 8 out of all the Virginia high school prospects and No. 19 of high school power forwards in the nation.

His 6-foot-8, 210-pound frame is lean, but not a deal-breaker if Pendergrass ends up more in a "stretch four" role. One thing to pay attention to: the University of Maryland is less than ten miles away from and per Rivals, has already offered Pendergrass. But with Tobi Lawal moving on after this year and the Hokies set to need a new anchor at power forward, landing Pendergrass could give Mike Young a strong option to help fill that future need at power forward.

Area #2: Lucas Morillo (NY./Mass.) (4* SG, No. 82 (247 Sports), No. 128 (247 Sports Composite))

A player like local five-star combo guard Jordan Smith (No. 2) would be the dream fit for this spot, given his elite skill and movement in transition, but with heavy blueblood interest, the recruit from Paul VI in Fairfax, Va. is highly unlikely to land in Blacksburg. Given that Tech's highest-ranked commit ever in 247 Sports' recruiting database was Dorian Finney-Smith (No. 18) in 2011, seeing Smith don the orange and maroon is an almost impossible scenario.

With that in mind, the Hokies should turn their attention to other talented prospects like shooting guard Lucas Morillo. Morillo stands at 6-foot-6, 180 pounds and attends the Newman School in Boston, Mass. He is a New Yorker, hailing from New Rochelle; however, no schools in the Empire State have extended an official offer to Morillo at the time of writing. Virginia Tech, though, has done so; per his 247 Sports profile, the Hokies extended an offer to Morillo two days ago.

Morillo’s blend of size, shooting and versatility makes him an ideal candidate to replace Bedford going into the 2026-27 season. At 6-foot-6, with the length to bother opposing wings, Morillo possesses the tools to replicate Bedford's contributions. Landing him would not only fill the immediate vacancy in the backcourt but also signal Tech’s commitment to maintaining its guard-driven identity in Mike Young’s system.

Area #3: Tristan Reed (Mo.) (4* C, No. 70 (247 Sports), No. 79 (247 Sports Composite))

At Nike EYBL's first session with Mokan Elite, he averaged 8.9 points per game on a stellar 75% shooting clip, proving his ability to convert at a high rate from close range. He also cashed in 1.776 points per play. One area for him to work on is his free throw shooting; in that 10-game stretch, he shot just 43.5% from the charity stripe.

While Reed is still developing an outside game, his rebounding instincts and interior presence give him a reliable, foundational skill set immediately translatable to college use. He’s the type of reserve big who can step in during foul trouble or injury and help anchor Virginia Tech’s frontcourt rotation, maintaining rebounding and defensive physicality without needing to dominate scoring.

For the Hokies, adding a prospect like Reed offers both depth and developmental upside. With his proven ability to hustle, defend, and finish inside, Reed projects as a dependable backup center who could grow into a more complete floor-spacing option as he matures. The frontcourt is rather young as of now, aside from Dorn, so this may also be an area which is addressed in next year's transfer poral if Young covets experience at the five.

Locking down any members of this trio might go a long way toward shaping Virginia Tech’s core, starting in the 2026-27 season.