Richmond (Va.) Benedictine tight end Sam Faniel just announced his commitment to Virginia Tech.
Faniel visited the Hokies over the weekend and decided he was ready to pull the trigger while still on campus.
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He’s one of the top tight end prospects in the country and checks in as the No. 401 player nationally and the No. 23 ranked tight end in the Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services.
He’s even higher by Rivals.com and is a four-star prospect and the No. 17 ranked tight end nationally. Faniel chose the Hokies over a host of national programs and had other official visits set to Alabama, Florida State and Texas A&M.
We had a chance to see Faniel earlier in the year at the Adidas Polynesian Bowl Combine where he earned an invite to the Polynesian Bowl after a strong camp showing.
Faniel jumped out for us before we even knew who he was, as his name wasn’t on the initial roster. He made back to back high level jump ball touchdown catches during day one of the Poly Combine before we had a chance to identify him.
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Once we saw the name ‘Sam Faniel,’ it was easy to see why the gifted athlete is a national recruit. He’s a box checker with an ideal tight end frame and athleticism.
He’s a two-sport athlete and basketball was actually his first love and primary sport until a year ago. He has a bouncy 6-4.5, 210 pound frame, is an explosive route runner with soft hands and excellent body control.
He was a no-brainer invite to the ’27 Polynesian Bowl and will be the second member of his family to play in the game. His older brother Alex played quarterback in the 2017 game.
