Garrett Witherington flipped from Virginia Tech to Kentucky on Monday. (Nick Brown)

Garrett Witherington
Defensive Tackle, Class of 2026
Briarwood Christian, Birmingham, Ala.
6-4, 290

Virginia Tech flipped another member of the 2026 class, though this time the flip came from Kentucky rather than Penn State. Defensive lineman Garrett Witherington will sign with the Hokies on Wednesday.

The Alabama native officially visited Penn State during the recruiting process, along with Georgia Tech, Mississippi State and Stanford, before eventually settling on Kentucky. However, he decided to take a visit to Virginia Tech when James Franklin was hired and was in town this past weekend.

Things were probably trending in Virginia Tech’s direction already, but Kentucky’s decision to fire head coach Mark Stoops made his decision a lot easier. Witherington also held offers from Boston College, Cal, Miami, Notre Dame, South Carolina and Vanderbilt.

Here are Witherington’s recruiting rankings:

  • ESPN: Three-star, No. 63 DL, No. 30 player in Alabama
  • Rivals: Three-star, No. 76 DL, No. 35 player in Alabama
  • 247Sports: Three-star, No. 118 DL, No. 39 player in Alabama

Witherington lines up at a number of spots on the defensive line in high school, though with his current weight and frame, he will likely play on the interior in college. However, he could be a bigger defensive end in certain schemes.

Having recently torn his ACL, Witherington is a likely redshirt in his first season at Virginia Tech.

Garrett Witherington Links:

247Sports Hudl Rivals Twitter