Marlen Bright flipped to Virginia Tech and James Franklin from Penn State. (Nick Brown)

Marlen Bright
Offensive Lineman, Class of 2026
DePaul Catholic, Wayne, N.J.
6-7, 290

Virginia Tech and James Franklin flipped offensive lineman Marlen Bright from Penn State on Thanksgiving day.

Bright had been committed to the Nittany Lions since July, but Franklin’s dismissal in Happy Valley changed things. He visited Blacksburg for the Miami game on Nov. 22 and committed to the Hokies soon after.

He took other visits to Illinois, Stanford and Washington throughout his recruitment process. His impressive list of offers also includes Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Pitt, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCF, UCLA, Wake Forest, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Here’s how the recruiting services view Bright:

  • Rivals: Four-star, No. 4 in N.J., No. 29 OT, No. 269 nationally
  • ESPN: Three-star, No. 7 in N.J., No. 56 OT
  • 247Sports: Three-star, No. 14 in N.J., No. 52 OT

He’s the newest piece of what is expected to be a large offensive line recruiting class at Virginia Tech, which currently includes fellow Thanksgiving commit Roseby Lubintus, Buddy Wegdam and Tyrell Simpson.

He’s the third commitment of the Franklin era, joining four-star running back Messiah Mickens and Lubintus.

Marlen Bright Links:

247Sports  Hudl  Rivals  Twitter