College football recruiting intel: James Franklin's moves, flipping ESPN 300 recruits, latest visits - ESPN

As the 2026 recruiting cycle reaches the stretch run, Georgia, LSU, Maryland, Oklahoma, Texas and a reenergized, James Franklin-led Virginia Tech are among the major programs looking to dazzle top recruits in Week 13, only 12 days from the 2026 early signing period (Dec. 3-5).

The most interesting recruiting weekend across the country, surprisingly, is in Blacksburg, Virginia, where Franklin and the Hokies are hosting some 2026 prospects, including top uncommitted quarterback Troy Huhn, on Saturday, days after Franklin's introductory news conference. Texas will have a critical slate of prospects on campus, too, led by four-star LSU offensive tackle pledge Brysten Martinez. Meanwhile, Davion Brown, ESPN's top-ranked uncommitted wide receiver, will step up his late recruitment with a trip to Maryland.

There's plenty of action still to play out over the next two weeks. Before Week 13 begins across the country, here's the latest recruiting intel on the 2026 class:

Other than a handful of impressive classes in the past decade, Virginia Tech has seldom been a recruiting power. The Hokies have logged just one top-20 finish in ESPN's team class rankings since 2010. From 2021 to 2025, the program signed just five ESPN 300 recruits.

Invigorating Virginia Tech's presence on the recruiting trail is one of Franklin's challenges in his new job, and the former Penn State coach is getting to work fast this weekend. With interim coach Philip Montgomery still on the sidelines, the Hokies are set to kick off the Franklin era this weekend with a long list of visitors, including some current and former Nittany Lions commits, on hand to see the Hokies host Miami in Week 13.

«We've already started recruiting,» Franklin said in his introductory