Top247 running back Ramon Brown began his long awaited June visits at the same school he ended a busy month of trips.
And it is the same place he will play college football.
The four-star Midlothian (Va.) Manchester standout announced his commitment to Virginia Tech on Friday on CBSSports HQ. His other finalists were Maryland, South Carolina, West Virginia and Penn State.
“I chose Virginia Tech because of my great connection with all the coaches and the players,” the 5-foot-11, 202-pound Brown said. “At the end, it was really who recruited me to hardest and who really wanted me and how I could fit in their system.”
VIP: Analysis of what Virginia Tech is getting in RB Ramon Brown
Brown, who is the No. 19 running back in the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, was busy in June. He started with an unofficial visit to Virginia Tech and he made official visits to, in order, West Virginia, South Carolina, Penn State and Maryland. His month concluded with an official visit to Virginia Tech.
“I’m not gonna lie, all of the visits were really good,” he said. “All of the coaches from the different schools talked to me about how I could fit in their offense. They also showed me how outside of football I could fit on campus.”
Virginia Tech won out, and it is an added bonus it is three hours away and in the same state as his home.
“It is a good environment and there is nothing like playing in your own back yard,” he said. “I see myself coming in and bringing something extra to the team and doing what I have to do to get the job done and help win games.”
During the process, Brown took his time to get to know each of the coaching staffs recruiting him, as well as the running backs coach.
Learning from Hokies running backs coach Adam Lechtenberg proved important when it came time to announce a decision.
“What stood out during it was the relationships,” Brown said. “I made a lot of great relationships at each and every school, with each and every coach, but then it just came down to making my decision. It is a hard choice to make one because you have a lot of great relationships that you made and at the end of the day you can only pick one school.”
Knowing Virginia Tech’s history in recruiting in-state talent resonated with Brown, who hopes a pipeline is again established for the top players from the Richmond and Virginia Beach areas to play for the Hokies.
“It is really important,” he said. “Virginia Tech got some big names that came out of there, like Mike Vick, Kam Chancellor and they just recently got a running back (Khalil Herbert) who is now in the NFL. I feel like by me going there and showcasing my talents, I could be a top draft pick being coached by Coach Adam. I can learn a lot of great things inside and outside of football there.”
