Former Penn State commit Messiah Mickens , ESPN's No. 13 running back in 2026, announced his pledge to Virginia Tech on Tuesday, landing as the program's first ESPN 300 addition under newly hired coach James Franklin.

Mickens, a 5-foot-10 rusher from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is the No. 141 overall recruit in the 2026 ESPN 300. He lands with the Hokies following an official visit with the program on Saturday and now stands as the top-ranked member of Virginia Tech's 2026 class.

Mickens initially committed to Franklin and Penn State in Aug. 2023. He remained as the longest-tenured member of the program's incoming class until Mickens decommitted from the Nittany Lions on Nov. 19, the latest in a string of 2026 prospects to pull their pledges following Franklin's exit from Penn State

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