2018 OT Luke Tenuta, Son of Two UVA Grads, Picks the Hokies

The Hokies are kicking off the weekend with a bang, nabbing a commitment from 2018 OT Luke Tenuta of Crozet's Western Albemarle HS.

Tenuta announced his pledge on Twitter on Friday, becoming the 24th commit to join the class and the fourth offensive lineman.

Committed 🦃🦃🦃 #ExitLight18 pic.twitter.com/oGwpD9JRXK— Luke Tenuta (@luke_tenuta) November 17, 2017

Tenuta, who's rated a 3-star recruit by 247Sports but is unrated by the site's composite ranking, will likely sound familiar to Hokies fans — his dad, Jon, was defensive coordinator at UVA from 2013 to 2015, and currently works as an assistant coach at Cincinnati.

But, in an interview with The Key Play before his commitment, Tenuta said he didn't envision any friction with his Hoo family when he gets to Blacksburg.

"It's about what's best for me," Tenuta said. "Both my parents went to UVA and both are UVA grads, but they both like Virginia Tech. My dad and my mom have both been up there, and she likes it a lot."

Tenuta himself has also visited Tech plenty recently, stopping by for both the Clemson and UNC games after the Hokies offered him in early September.

Though he last swung through Blacksburg for a game last year against Boston College, he was blown away by the atmosphere in Lane Stadium for a night game.

"The night one, that was a lot different," Tenuta said. "That was something else. When they came out of the tunnel for 'Enter Sandman,' I've never seen anything like that. That was cool."

He was also impressed with seeing "all the greats that have been there" on the sidelines, like Bruce Smith and Michael Vick.

Tenuta says the Hokies are most interested in playing him at offensive tackle, even though some other programs have recruited the 6'7", 270-pound prospect on the defensive line.

"They like that I play hard and play fast, they just think I could be a great fit for what they're doing there," Tenuta said.

It doesn't hurt, either, that the Hokies will be replacing several starters along the offensive line next season.

"They said there was an opportunity because they have a lot of guys leaving, there will be an opportunity to compete and to play," Tenuta said.

Tenuta said his other top schools were UNC and West Virginia, before he settled on the Hokies.