Jalen Cone is a Hokie

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The eagle has landed: Virginia Tech has added a crucial piece to its 2019 basketball recruiting class in PG Jalen Cone.

The 5-9, 175-pounder committed to Virginia Tech over Boston College, NC State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Wake Forest in a ceremony at Kernersville (N.C.) Walkertown High School this afternoon.

Cone becomes the second official member of the Hokies' 2019 recruiting class, joining fellow guard Hunter Cattoor, who decommitted from Wofford in the wake of coach Mike Young leaving the Terriers to become head Hokie. Cone is on a different level, however: A Rivals100 player, he is the No. 77 overall prospect and No. 13 point guard in the nation, and the type of offensive talent around whom Young can build his first few teams in Blacksburg.

Cone's recruitment hit light speed in April, when Young offered him the opportunity to reclassify from the Class of 2020 to join the Hokies as a 2019 prospect. Several other schools - including all six of his eventual finalists - followed suit. Cone, however, ultimately went with the program that'd been recruiting him the longest (even though the initial coach in that pursuit, Buzz Williams, is now headman at another of those finalists).

• See the Virginia Tech recruiting class and Rivals.com team recruiting rankings with Cone in the fold.
• What will Cone provide to the program? Take a look at some highlights to find out.

The 2019 recruiting class isn't likely completed for the Hokies, who have several openings after the wave of NBA and recruiting class attrition after Williams's departure. A forward prospect would be a welcome addition to complement the two guard commitments, and wings are always welcome in college basketball's current state that is so reliant on them.

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