Virginia Tech football: 4-star OT Thomas Wilder commits to Hokies

At one time, Thomas Wilder was the centerpiece of Virginia Tech’s 2026 recruiting class. Wilder kicked off the July 4 holiday weekend with a bang, committing to the Hokies on July 3. He was VT’s highest-ranked commitment.

Then, when head coach Brent Pry was fired in September, Wilder backed off his pledge, and it appeared to be trending away from the Hokies, with Maryland as the destination. But Wilder wanted to see what happened with the Hokies before committing to the Terps. When Virginia Tech hired James Franklin, everything changed.

Penn State was among the finalists for Wilder in July, and he used one of his official visits there, so there was a connection with Franklin. This past weekend, he returned to Blacksburg for another official visit, which sealed the deal, and he announced he was back in Virginia Tech’s 2026 class.

“Best in VA stay in VA.” I like that. Not sure if that’s specifically from Wilder, or a new pitch from the Hokies, but it’s clever.

Wilder is a 6-foot-6.5, 295-pound offensive tackle prospect. He’s a consensus 4-star prospect and plays at Green Run High School in Virginia Beach. Wilder has massive size and length and will stick at tackle at the next level. He looks like more of a right tackle for the Hokies.

After a busy day, Virginia Tech now has 16 commitments for the 2026 recruiting class. The early signing period begins on Wednesday, and the Hokies are expected to remain busy over the next two days. Wilder is the seventh offensive line commitment for VT’s 2026 class, although Adrian Hamilton, who committed to the previous staff, could flip.

The Hokies may not be done here.

Getting Wilder back in the fold was huge for the Hokies. While much of the attention is on the Penn State flips, keeping Wagner was huge for Franklin.

Welcome home, Thomas.