What a difference a year makes.

In 2017 Lewis Fernandes entered the New Jersey State Tournament at a solid 35-11 as a sophomore. After losing to the eventual state champion on the front side, he lost in the match to place.

One year later, Fernandes brought gold back from Atlantic City with a perfect 43-0 junior season.

He'd go on to place 3rd at NHSCA's before dominating his way to a FloNationals title at 220lbs.

That one-year transformation and electric postseason turned Fernandes into a hot commodity, being pursued by many Division I schools including Cornell, Navy, and Lehigh.

And on Monday, Lewis informed FloWrestling that he has decided he'd be a Virginia Tech Hokie.

"I was really taken aback when I visited (Virginia Tech)," Fernandes said. "The sports facility is amazing, the campus is beautiful. And most importantly, I got a really great feeling from Coach Robie and Frayer."

Fernandes, who will be ranked 7th in the country when new rankings are released, will follow in the footsteps of his Head Coach at Vorhees (NJ) High School.

Eric Hall, who also won a state title at Vorhees, wrestled for the Hokies from 1996-2001. He posted a career record at Tech of 116-20 while qualifying for NCAA's all four years.

Read Brad Wilson's story of Fernandes' New Jersey state title.

Now under the direction of Head Coach Tony Robie, the Hokies are off to a great Class of 2019. Along with 7th-ranked Fernandes, Tech already has commitments next year from the 4th-ranked Connor Brady (OH, 160) and Sam Latona (AL), who's 6th at 120lbs.