College football recruiting: 2026 WR Carnell Warren commits to Virginia Tech over three ACC finalists

The Hokies got a major land in the junior class to kick off the new year on Thursday.

The Virginia Tech Hokies have secured a commitment from 2026 three-star wide receiver Carnell Warren, he announced at the Under Armour All-American Game on Thursday.

Warren, a 6’4”, 200-pound receiver from Bluffton, South Carolina, chose the Hokies over three other ACC schools: the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Duke Blue Devils and Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Earning 13 scholarship offers, which came from schools all over the country, Warren honed in on a couple of ACC schools as a part of his final list before ultimately committing to the Hokies on Thursday.

Warren becomes the first player to join Virginia Tech’s 2026 recruiting class, citing the home factor during his couple of visits as a big reason for the early decision.

At 6’4”, 200 pounds, Warren has a unique speed to match his 50-50 skills to be a capable deep threat at his size, while also possessing a good release package and sound hands for the receiver position.

Warren had been on campus multiple times this past year, including for Virginia Tech’s game against Clemson this fall, where the Hokies emerged as the clear favorite in his recruitment. That stayed true all the way through Thursday’s decision, with head coach Brent Pry’s staff making the wideout a priority.

Now, while the Hokies earned an early commitment for the three-star receiver, Warren could still be in a position to pick up national attention as he develops during his senior year, with a number of intriguing in-state schools to watch out for as well.

Clemson and South Carolina have noticeably been two schools that have managed to keep in-state talent at a high retention rate, so that could be something to watch over the next year, while other programs could also pick up their interest in the big-bodied wideout as well.

The Hokies had a top-40 recruiting class in 2024, picking up four-star Shamarius Peterkin and three-star Jayden Anderson at the receiver position. Both wideouts were smaller, listed under 175 pounds, so Warren provides a different style of receiver for the Hokies between the two recruiting classes.

Warren was one of the juniors invited out to the Under Armour All-American Game, getting a chance to compete against some of the best talent in the country. He’ll look to continue refining his game as a senior, which could create even more buzz for the three-star receiver going forward.

But, for now, he’s committed to the Hokies, giving Virginia Tech their first commit of the 2026 class.committed to