VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (WTKR)- Frank Cox defensive lineman Gerard Johnson had his list trimmed down from more than 20 scholarship offers to two finalists. At the end of the day, Virginia Tech felt like the place he had to be.
"The family environment there, you can't really beat it," Johnson said on Monday. "On my official visit, I already felt like part of the guys, hanging out with them, joking around with them. It just felt like home to me."
The rising Falcon senior picked the Hokies over UVA this past Saturday, giving Brent Pry and company a Tidewater recruiting win. He says the proximity to home played a little bit of a role in his decision. Now his family and friends can come to all of his home games at Lane Stadium, which left a lasting impression on the Cox defensive standout.
"I've been to the Miami game this past season," he recalled. "Being on the field when Enter Sandman came on, you just can't really beat the feeling of being on that field when that happens. All the fans jumping, it really rocks the stadium and you can't beat that in Blacksburg."
Johnson says that the plan is for him to go into the program and make an immediate impact. He's rated as high as the sixth-best player in the state at his position and he'll look to help a Virginia Tech defense that ranked ninth in the ACC in scoring defense in 2022 (24.7 points per game) and 11th in passing defense (236 yards per game). Before he gets there, however, he still has one season remaining in a Falcon uniform, when he can play with no pressure now that he's made his commitment.
"It's definitely a good decision to make, finally get this weight off my shoulders," he pointed out. "Knowing that I'm done with the recruiting process and all that stuff and I can only focus on football now, focus on Cox football, that's what I'm really excited about."
The Cox senior says he'll enroll at Virginia Tech early this coming January. Johnson and the Falcons open their 2023 season on August 24 at home against Princess Anne.
