Virginia Tech Lands 18th Commitment of 2021 Recruiting Class as Tennessee OL Bryce Goodner Pledges the Hokies

Goodner was offered by Virginia Tech over the weekend, and didn't take long to make his decision

The Virginia Tech Hokies have landed the 18th commitment of the 2021 recruiting class, as Tennessee offensive lineman Bryce Goodner has announced his pledge to the Hokies.

Goodner's commitment continues the strong momentum for the Hokies on the recruiting trail, as Virginia Tech has now landed seven prospects since the beginning of July.

Goodner's recruitment was a bit slow to develop with Virginia Tech. Tech's coaching staff, led by assistant coach Vance Vice, has been in contact with Goodner for quite some time, but was patient in their evaluation process.

Goodner, who was an all-state guard in Tennessee a year ago, as well as the Region 2 6A Offensive Lineman of the Year, but has flown under the radar from major recruiting services. The 6'3", 300 lbs. Goodner can clearly play, but with COVID-19 running rampant, the opportunity for full evaluation of Goodner by various schools and recruiting services became a much more difficult task.

However, Virginia Tech's staff became more and more comfortable in their evaluation of Goodner as time went by, leading to his official offer administered over the weekend by the Hokies.

While Goodner has received several FBS offers to date, Virginia Tech is one of his first Power 5 offers. Although his recruitment was slow to develop, the Hokies hope that they got in early on a diamond in the rough for the 2021 recruiting class.

It is expected that Goodner will be ranked by most recruiting services in the near future - most likely as a mid-tier 3-star prospect. 

He projects as a guard at the collegiate level, and could pop as a surprise contributor in the near future for Virginia Tech football.