Less than 24 hours before playing his final high school game at DePaul Catholic, Marlen Bright made a significant change in his future football plans.

Bright, a consensus four-star offensive tackle prospect, and the No. 6 ranked prospect in NJ.com’s 2026 Rankings , verbally committed to Virginia Tech on Thanksgiving afternoon.

The 6-foot-6, 260-pound Bright announced his decision to flip his commitment from Penn State to Virginia Tech on social media.

The move once again unites Bright with new Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin. Bright initially committed to Penn State in July when Franklin was still the Nittany Lions’ head coach.

Bright’s pick comes less than a week before the start of Wednesday’s early signing period for football.

“It was very difficult. I think anyone who’s

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