2017 LB Aundre Kearney Hears the Hokies "Calling My Name," Decides to Commit Early

Aundre Kearney never thought he would tell the world about his college choice this early.

The 2017 linebacker from Jacksonville, Fla.'s Mandarin HS was hoping to wait a bit before announcing his college pledge. But the more he thought about Virginia Tech, the more he felt compelled to make his pledge public, announcing his decision on Twitter late Thursday night.

"At first, I wanted to keep it under the radar for a while, because I just decommitted from the University of Miami in February, after I've been committed to them since last June," Kearney told The Key Play. "So I was trying to keep it under the radar for a bit, but then I just came out and was ready to tell the world that night."

Indeed, he says he told his recruiter, DL coach Charley Wiles, about his plans to commit earlier on Thursday. But he said his motivation to change his mind was simple: "VT was calling my name."

"I had plenty of options, I feel like I could've gone anywhere I wanted to, but VT just felt like home to me," Kearney said. "That's a feeling that I didn't get at the University of Miami."

Kearney was committed to become a Hurricane since last June, when he made his pledge to former coach Al Golden and his staff. But after Golden's ouster and the installation of Mark Richt, he said he didn't think Coral Gables was the right fit for him any more.

"It was just a real sticky situation and it was just messy," Kearney said. "I didn't feel comfortable with my decision any more after my recruiter left, and so I just wanted to look elsewhere."

The Hokies offered Kearney shortly after he made his pledge to Miami last summer, so Tech was on his radar once he decommitted. The staff reached back out to him, and arranged a visit for him to Blacksburg last week, his first time on campus.

"I just loved the area and the coaches and the players," Kearney said. "I got to know them a lot better and just felt the relationship and it was just the right fit for me."

Kearney says his tour of campus started with a focus on the academic side of things, "because that's the most important part to me," and he eventually got to see all the team's facilities. Of particular interest was his visit to the weight room, where the staff showed him "transformations from former guys" who have been through Ben Hilgart's strength program.

The Hokies made sure that he got to swing by Justin Fuente's office and spend some quality time with the head coach as well.

"Sitting down and talking with him, I really got a good look at not just him as a coach, but him as a human being and I felt like Virginia Tech was on the rise," Kearney said.

But he spent the bulk of his time on the trip with Wiles and defensive coordinator Bud Foster. He told Kearney that he'd likely play the "backer" spot in Tech's defense, and pointed out that the Hokies' scheme resembles what Kearney's spent years running in high school.

"We sat down for hours just going over the defenses and everything like that, showing me 'This is similar to what you do now,'" Kearney said. "So he was telling me 'You'll fit in right away, it shouldn't take you too long to pick up the process.'"

That sort of familiarity was immensely comforting to Kearney, and he credits that potential for a fast start to his career for helping to convince him to jump aboard with Tech.

"Going to a college that runs the same defense that I pretty much already run, it's going to click like that," Kearney said, snapping his fingers for effect. "I can just start moving fast instead of a slow process."

Kearney said he plans to enroll early in January to ensure the process moves as quickly as possible. In the meantime, he hopes to visit Blacksburg again for Tech's spring game on April 23, and get another chance to meet his future teammates and become an even bigger part of the Tech family.

"I know I'm part of the family now, but I'm ready to become a part of the body and the heart of the team," Kearney said.