Bryan ManningThu, November 27, 2025 at 10:23 PM UTC·2 min readWhat a Happy Thanksgiving Day for the future of the Virginia Tech Hokies’ offensive line. Earlier on Thanksgiving, the Hokies landed three-star offensive tackle Roseby Lubintus. Lubintus, a former Penn State and Syracuse commit, picked Virginia Tech after visiting Blacksburg last weekend.
New head coach James Franklin wasn’t done. Four-star offensive tackle Marlen Bright announced he would also be committing to Virginia Tech. Bright, who had been committed to Penn State since July, flipped his commitment to the Hokies on Thanksgiving Day.
Bright is a 6-foot-7, 290-pound offensive tackle prospect from DePaul Catholic in Wayne, New Jersey. Both Bright and Lubintus are from New Jersey, a state where the Hokies do not usually land top players.
Bright is the third commitment since Franklin took over as Virginia Tech coach, following four-star RB Messiah Mickens and Lubintus. All were formerly committed to Penn State when Franklin was the head coach.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBright’s future at the next level is clearly on the outside at tackle. With outstanding length, Bright profiles as Virginia Tech’s left tackle of the future. He has the frame to add more weight and possesses impressive footwork for a high school offensive tackle.
The New Jersey native told Steve Wiltfong of On3/Rivals that Virginia Tech was “the perfect place for me.”
Bright is commitment No. 11 for Virginia Tech’s 2026 class. More could be coming soon. Four-star offensive tackle Thomas Wilder, a former Hokie commit, is expected to visit Blacksburg this weekend. The Hokies will also host other players Franklin knows well from his time with the Nittany Lions. Also, several players who visited last weekend for an official visit have yet to make their pledges public.
A good day for the future of the Hokies.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWelcome home, Marlen.
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