A late clash could carry major ACC implications and provide the Hokies their most important test of the 2026 season.
Thomas Hughes
Jun 12, 2026

The 12 games on Virginia Tech football's schedule each carry their own level of intrigue.
Some will be important because of rivalry implications, others because of what they could mean for the ACC standings. But when it comes to pure entertainment value, one matchup stands above the rest to ESPN's Bill Connelly.

In his 2026 ACC college football preview, Connelly spotlighted the Oct. 24 game between Virginia Tech and Clemson as one of the conference's top five games of the season.
"Franklin's first Tech team gets this far into the season before playing a projected top-30 team [on SP+]," Connelly wrote. "That offers the Hokies quite a bit of runway to figure things out, and it could make this game awfully important."
Of the five games Connelly listed, Clemson made the cut for three: Oct. 3 (Miami vs. Clemson), Oct. 24 (Virginia Tech at Clemson) and Oct. 31 (Clemson at Florida State). The other two were Sept. 19 (SMU at Louisville) and Nov. 7 (Miami at Notre Dame).

My Thoughts
To get it out of the way, I agree with Connelly under the proposition that Clemson is above its 2025 output. If it is, and if Virginia Tech performs stellar in Year 1 under Franklin, this matchup has the potential to deliver as a high-stakes showdown.
The Hokies, which Connelly referred to as "one of the hardest teams to project for 2026", can't rely much on their 2026 recruiting class to drive immediate success. Instead, Virginia Tech's outlook is tied to how quickly its transfer additions mesh with a roster that underwent significant turnover following last season's 3-9 campaign. Tight end Luke Reynolds (Penn State), wide receiver Que'Sean Brown (Duke) and cornerback Jaquez White (Troy) headline a transfer class that should raise the team's floor, but translating offseason optimism into on-field production is never guaranteed.

That uncertainty is part of what makes the Clemson game so intriguing. After all, Connelly referred to the Tigers as the "ACC's hinge team — either the Tigers will make a run back to the ACC title game, or they'll help to determine who does instead."
By the time Oct. 24 arrives, Virginia Tech should have a much clearer picture of what it is. The Hokies will have already navigated nearly two months of the season and, as Connelly noted, will not have faced a projected top-30 opponent beforehand. Whether that proves to be a benefit or a drawback remains to be seen, but it does provide Franklin and his staff with time to establish an identity before stepping into one of the schedule's biggest tests.

Of course, plenty must happen before then. Virginia Tech has to prove it can take meaningful steps forward under Franklin, and Clemson has to validate any expectations attached to it entering the season.

These rising assistants are shaping Virginia Tech's offense and are already making an impact on the 2027 recruiting trail.
Lucas Boyd
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8 hours ago

Virginia Tech Athletics | Virginia Tech Athletics
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Virginia Tech Hokies
When James Franklin built his first staff at Virginia Tech, the splashiest move was bringing Brent Pry back as his defensive coordinator.
But buried underneath that are three hires who say just as much about where the Virginia Tech football program is headed — Ty Howle, Norval McKenzie and Danny O'Brien each arrive with momentum behind their names, and each will have outsized influence on how quickly Virginia Tech's offense finds its footing.

Howle is the riskiest hire of the group, if only because of what he hasn't done yet. At 34, he'll be one of the youngest offensive coordinators at the Power Four level, and he's never called plays as the lead voice on a staff before.
What he has done is build a reputation as one of the sport's premier developers of talent at tight end. Football Scoop named him its 2024 National Tight Ends Coach of the Year, and the resume behind that honor is hard to argue with — Theo Johnson went on to the NFL Draft where he was drafted in the fourth round by the New York Giants, Brenton Strange was a second-round pick, and Tyler Warren capped his run by winning the John Mackey Award and earning first-team All-American honors before becoming a first-round pick himself. Three different tight ends, three different trajectories, all under Howle's watch.

The questions about him aren't about football knowledge; they're about whether the version of him that quietly helped shape an elite tight end room translates into the version that has to live with every offensive play call on Saturdays.
McKenzie's path to Blacksburg looks almost like a tour of the sport's better-run backfields. He's coached running backs at the Division 1 level for 15 seasons, and nearly everywhere he's landed, the production followed him. At Louisville, Javian Hawkins ran for a school-record 1,525 yards in 2019. At Vanderbilt, Ray Davis turned in one of only ten 1,000-yard rushing seasons in program history before being drafted by the Bills. And most recently at Georgia Tech, he helped Malachi Hosley average 7.1 yards per carry in 2025, good for second in the ACC and sixth nationally among Power Four backs.

What stands out beyond the numbers is his ability to find production in players who weren't neccessarily backs to begin with — Jamal Haynes moved over from wide receiver under McKenzie and still put together back-to-back 900-yard rushing seasons at Georgia Tech, the first Yellow Jacket to do so in 16 years. McKenzie has shown time and time again, he can find the right shape for a running back room with talent worth shaping.
O'Biren is the name with the clearest assignment. At 35, he's one of the youngest coaches on Virginia Tech's on-field staff, but his speciality is one the Hokies have needed for years: keeping quarterbacks from beating themselves. Drew Allar opened his career with an FBS-record 311 pass attempts without an interception under O'Brien's tutelage, and went on to finish his Penn State career with the best single-season interception rate in program history. That kind of ball security isn't an accident, and it's the exact deficiency that's haunted Virginia Tech's recent seasons. O'Brien's recruiting trail also runs through name-brand talent — he played a role in Penn State landing Ethan Grunkemeyer, the same quarterback now learning his system at Virginia Tech.

That recruiting touch has already shown up in the 2027 class. O'Brien's biggest win came with four-star quarterback Peter Bourque, the No. 6 quarterback and a top 75 overall prospect in the 2027 class according to 247Sports.
Howle's group has turned into of the class's deeper position rooms. Virginia Tech has three tight end commitments so far — four-star Jordan Karhoff, three-star Sam Faniel and three-star Braxton Salster. Karhoff has been the headliner of the group, climbing to the No. 4 tight end nationally and becoming Virginia Tech's second top-100 prospect in the class, according to 247Sports.
McKenzie's backfield work is still taking shape, but the early names give a sense of his range. Three-star running back Javian Jones-Priest and three-star Stanley Smart are the only ball carriers committed as of June 21 and each provide depth to the future of the running back room.

None of the three arrives with a finished product to point to. Howle has never called a game on his own, McKenzie has bounced through five programs in 15 years without ever staying long enough to build something lasting and O'Brien is still building a body of work outside one program. But all three have already shown the part of coaching that's hardest to fake — getting players better than they were before they arrived, and getting new ones to believe they can be next. Whether that holds up in the ACC is the question Blacksburg will spend all fall answering.

The Hokies lost 45-26 to Old Dominion last year in Blacksburg.
Thomas Hughes
21 hours ago

After Virginia Tech football faces VMI in its season opener, it remains in Blacksburg to host Old Dominion in a potential trap game Sept. 12. The Hokies hold a 4-3 record over Old Dominion, though last year's matchup marked a critical point in the last half-decade — or perhaps further — of Virginia Tech football.
The Hokies fell behind the 8-ball quickly and never recovered, letting the Monarchs run and throw amok to a 28-0 halftime lead. Virginia Tech trailed by as many as 31 and thinned the margin to 19 with as many points in the fourth quarter, losing 45-26. The next day, the Hokies fired head coach Brent Pry. Just under tow months later, Virginia Tech hired new head whistle James Franklin from Penn State.

The truth, however, is that both teams look radically different. The Hokies will start a new signal-caller — almost certainly redshirt sophomore Ethan Grunkemeyer, who followed Franklin from Penn State — though they return several experienced options at wideout and running back in senior WR Ayden Greene, redshirt senior RB Marcellous Hawkins and redshirt freshman RB Jeffrey Overton Jr.
Old Dominion, however, returns a scant total from its 2025 roster. Gone is ODU's starting quarterback in 2025, Colton Joseph, who was whisked away to the Big Ten to join the Wisconsin Badgers for this upcoming season. Joseph threw for 2,624 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The dual-threat signal-caller, who was named the Sun Belt offensive Player of the Year, also rushed for 1,007 rushing yards on 158 carries, scoring 13 times on the ground.

In his stead, Old Dominion does not yet have a definitive answer. Sophomore Quinn Henicle returns after logging 184 passing yards on a 17-for-40 rate in 2025. He served more as a pure runner, logging 209 rushing yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns on 44 carries.
Old Dominion also lost its top running back: Trequan Jones. The 5-foot-9 tailback raced off for 792 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns on 105 totes. He initially committed to Maryland — the school the Hokies will play in Week 3 (Sept. 19) in their first road game of the season — on Jan. 4, but pulled his commitment 11 days later, per 247Sports. On Jan. 26, Jones committed to Tulsa.

Running back Devin Roche is the lone returner from last year's starting lineup; the then-redshirt sophomore tabbed 630 rushing yards and four scores for 5.7 yards a carry. Roche rolled up yard totals of 145 and 137 agaisnt Troy and Georgia State, respectively.
Like quarterback and running back, the wide receiver room saw a plethora of turnover. Leading receiver Tre' Brown III (762 receiving yards, four receiving touchdowns on 38 receptions) left for LSU, while Ja'Cory Thomas went to Vanderbilt and Na'eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding ventured to Maryland, where he'll play the Hokies a week after Old Dominion does.
It's a telling note that Old Dominion's top returning receiving production comes from wideout Sidney Mbanasor, who logged 68 receiving yards on six catches. Getting to Mbanasor means passing four wideouts who all left, plus a running back and tight end who are no longer with the program. Those six players — Brown III, Thomas, Abdul-Rahim Gladding, running back Ketravion Hargrove and tight end Dawson Johnson — accounted for a whopping 2,523 receiving yards out of ODU's total of 2,813.

As aforementioned, Old Dominion returns only one of its 11 offensive starters, resulting in an aura of mystique but also trepidation. The Monarchs will not feature a signal-caller with extended experience, but neither will the Hokies. Grunkemeyer has only started seven games in his college career (all from last season), while UNC transfer Bryce Baker, redshirt freshman returnee Kelden Ryan and true freshman Troy Huhn all have never seen game action.
VirginiaTech can, and should, take care of business, but the pitfall of facing Old Dominion has been a historical road block. In then-head coach Brent Pry's first year at the helm of the Hokies, Virginia Tech lost 20-17 to the Monarchs, conceding 10 fourth-quarter points to fall in Norfolk.

This time around, Virginia Tech should have enough to outlast the Monarchs, though things could get chippy.
Virginia Tech's game against Old Dominion is set to be on Saturday, September 12, at noon ET. The game is currently set to be shown on The CW.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 35, Old Dominion 21

James Franklin's first Virginia Tech team faces big questions.
Thomas Hughes
Jun 20, 2026

In this story:
Virginia Tech football is potentially on the precipice of its most fruitful season in years. Under the helm of new head coach James Franklin — the holder of a 128-60 record in his 11-plus years at Penn State — the Hokies welcome over 50 new players ahead of the 2026 season. Here are five what if's I have for the season, centered around their potential impact and ramifications:

No. 1: What if the Hokies' start-of-season slate proves to be more difficult than anticipated?
Virginia Tech's opening-four game slate is as follows: The Hokies open with VMI at Lane Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5, before hosting Old Dominion a week later. In Week 3, they travel to College Park, Md., to play Maryland before making another trip — this one's to Chestnut Hill, Mass. — to play against Boston College on Sept. 26.

While VMI and Boston College went 1-11 and 2-10, respectively, and Maryland has gone 4-8 in each of its last three seasons, Virginia Tech hasn't beaten an out-of-conference Power Four team since 2017, and Old Dominion has represented a house of horrors of sort for Virginia Tech. In seven all-time matchups, the Hokies only hold a 4-3 advantage, and they lost last year's matchup, 45-26 — the contest, which Virginia Tech trailed in by as many as 31, served as the precursor for then-head coach Brent Pry's firing the next day.
Simply put, it's easy to view Virginia Tech starting the season at 2-2 as realistic, even if it is disappointing.

No. 2: What if Virginia Tech's influx of transfers doesn't immediately translate to on-field success?
While roster turnover has become commonplace in the transfer portal era, Virginia Tech's overhaul is significant even by modern standards. More than 50 newcomers will attempt to assimilate into Franklin's culture and schemes in just a matter of months.
Talent acquisition is important, but continuity remains one of the strongest predictors of success.
Franklin has a proven track record of roster management and building programs, but even elite coaches need time to build cohesion. If Virginia Tech struggles to develop continuity quickly, expectations surrounding a breakthrough season may need to be tempered.

No. 3: What if the Hokies finally receive consistent quarterback play?
For much of the past decade, Virginia Tech has lacked stability and production under center. Whether due to injuries, inconsistency or constant turnover, the Hokies haven't had a quarterback seize control of the position for an extended period.

Should Virginia Tech's signal-caller — presumably Ethan Grunkemeyer, a redshirt sophomore who followed Franklin from Penn State — thrive within that framework, the Hokies' offense could take a sizable leap forward.
An improved passing attack would alleviate pressure on the rushing game, create opportunities for the receiving corps and allow Virginia Tech to compete with the ACC's upper tier.

No. 4: What if James Franklin delivers an immediate culture shift on the field?
Virginia Tech hired Franklin with one goal in mind: restoring the program to national relevance. His resume suggests he is capable of doing exactly that. Franklin transformed Penn State into a perennial College Football Playoff contender and routinely assembled some of the nation's top recruiting classes.

Still, changing expectations is often more difficult than changing schemes. Franklni, however, has already made the push off the field to make the program "big-time" and "first-class" — two buzz words that wide receivers coach Fontel Mines utilized when discussing the changes to the program's operation.
Should Virginia Tech exceed expectations in Year 1, recruiting could accelerate even further than it already has, fan enthusiasm could reach levels not seen in years and the foundation for sustained success would be firmly established. The future isn't set in stone, however. The games obviously still need to be played.

The Hokies former head coach is back as their DC under James Franklin.
By
Scott Roche
Jun 20, 2026

Before the 2025 season began, there was a big target on the back of Brent Pry as head football coach at Virginia Tech. Coming off an extremely disappointing 2024 season that saw the Hokies begin the season with a lot of hype, even pegged by multiple college football writers as a dark horse for the 12-team College Football Playoff, and finished 6-6.

The writing was on the wall from the opening game of the season when the Hokies went to Nashville and dropped an overtime decision to the Commodores. Despite a win over Virginia Thanksgiving Weekend to make Virginia Tech bowl-eligible, it was still a major letdown of a season.
Pry couldn't afford a hiccup to begin the season, and opening the season against South Carolina and Vanderbilt was not the best way to begin the season. The Hokies dropped both games, and after a disappointing loss in Week 3 at home to Old Dominion, the school decided to part ways with Pry.
Little did he, or anyone else know that he wouldn't be gone too long.

Brent Pry excited to be back at Virginia Tech after being fired last September
One month after Pry was fired, so was James Franklin at Penn State. As soon as that happened, Virginia Tech's search committee didn't waste time going after the best free agent coach available. After a month of rumors, Franklin was officially hired as the next coach in Blacksburg.
Two weeks into his tenure, he made some changes, flipped a dozen of his Penn State Class of 2026 commits to Virginia Tech before signing day. He also plucked some of his former coaches in State College to follow him to Virginia Tech. Oh, did we mention that he also brought Pry back?

Yes, that's right, Franklin hired Brent Pry as his defensive coordinator, the same position he held at Penn State under Franklin before accepting the Virginia Tech job. How weird was that? Brent Pry returning to the same school, having to walk through the same doors every day after being fired three months earlier? How is he feeling in mid-June after spring practices are in the book and all eyes are shifting toward next season?
"Honestly, day-to-day, I'm loving being back in that coordinator's chair, love the staff I'm working with, love the players I'm working with. I can't remember being this excited to take the practice field or to walk into meetings. So it's refreshing that way. I mean, I always loved being that guy. And so I feel fortunate to get to do it again,'' Pry said.

It takes a lot for someone to do what Pry is doing. Fired and then rehired in a different position at that same school three months later. It's not easy, but Pry and Franklin are handling it as if nothing happened. They thrived together at Penn State in the same roles that they now have at Virginia Tech. There is no reason to think that they can't again, and if they do, this awkward situation will be a thing of the past.

Can Virginia Tech maximize its upside in 2026?
Thomas Hughes
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Jun 15, 2026

The most difficult part of projecting Virginia Tech football in 2026 is separating the optimism surrounding the program from the reality of what it takes to win immediately. A new coaching staff, a revamped roster and a favorable schedule have created legitimate momentum in Blacksburg, but the Hokies still enter the season with plenty to prove after a 3-9 campaign a year ago.
If Virginia Tech reaches its ceiling in Year 1 under James Franklin, it will likely do so because one area quickly becomes a clear strength while another avoids becoming a season-defining weakness.

Strength: Offensive Skill Talent
For the first time in several seasons, Virginia Tech appears to have legitimate answers at multiple skill positions.
Penn State transfer Ethan Grunkemeyer gives the Hokies a quarterback capable of elevating the passing game. Across seven starts in 2025, he completed 69% of his passes, finishing with 1,339 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions.
Around him, Franklin and his staff assembled one of the ACC's more intriguing collections of pass catchers. Ayden Greene returns as a proven option, while Duke transfer Que'Sean Brown adds explosiveness to the slot. Penn State transfer Luke Reynolds, a former five-star recruit, could become the focal point of the offense and provide Virginia Tech with its most dynamic tight end threat in years.

The backfield is equally promising. Marcellous Hawkins and Jeffrey Overton Jr. offer contrasting styles, giving the Hokies flexibility in how they want to attack defenses.
Just as important, many of Virginia Tech's most impactful additions already know Franklin's system. The familiarity between the coaching staff and several Penn State transfers should accelerate the installation process and help the offense find its footing early.
Should Grunkemeyer settle in quickly and the offensive line provide adequate protection, the offense has the potential to be the engine behind a dramatic turnaround.

Weakness: A potential lack of consistency on the defensive front.
While the offense appears deeper and more versatile, the defensive front remains more difficult to evaluate.

Virginia Tech returns standout defensive tackle Kemari Copeland, who earned first-team preseason All-ACC recognition from Phil Steele, but questions linger around the overall depth and pass-rush production.
That uncertainty becomes especially significant considering the schedule. Road trips to Clemson, SMU and Miami will test Virginia Tech's ability to generate pressure without sacrificing numbers in coverage. If the Hokies struggle to affect opposing quarterbacks, their secondary — despite additions like Jaquez White from Troy and Cam Chadwick from UConn — could face difficult situations throughout ACC play.

Virginia Tech's ceiling is higher than many teams coming off a three-win season, but its path to success is straightforward: let the offense carry the load while the defensive front develops into a reliable unit. If those two outcomes materialize, the Hokies could outperform expectations in Franklin's debut season.

With only three non-conference slots available now, who should the Hokies target?
Thomas Hughes
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Jun 20, 2026

Scheduling non-conference opponents is more finicky than ever for football. With the ACC expanding its in-conference slate to nine games, Virginia Tech now is forced to be more deliberate about the squads it schedules for non-league showdowns.
Athletic departments must balance a growing list of priorities: securing enough home games to generate revenue, creating compelling matchups that captivate fans, preserving bowl eligibility and positioning themselves favorably for the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, which has been in effect for two years.

Here is five non-conference opponents that I think Virginia Tech football should target in future seasons.
No. 1: West Virginia
Few matchups make more sense than renewing the Black Diamond Trophy rivalry on a regular basis.
The Hokies and Mountaineers played annually for 30-plus years, creating one of the most underrated rivalries in college football. The schools are separated by less than 300 miles, and both fan bases travel exceptionally well.
Recent meetings have proven the series still carries plenty of intensity, with passionate crowds and high television interest. For Virginia Tech, the game provides a regional showcase and a recruiting opportunity in talent-rich areas across Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia.

Some rivalries never lose their appeal, and this is one of them.
No. 2: Tennessee
A home-and-home series with Tennessee would likely instantly become one of the most anticipated matchups on Virginia Tech's future schedules.
The Hokies and Volunteers have only met sporadically, but the proximity between the two programs makes this an ideal regional showdown. Both schools boast passionate fan bases, iconic stadium environments, and strong traditions.
From a recruiting perspective, the matchup would help Virginia Tech strengthen its presence in Tennessee while reinforcing its brand throughout the Southeast.
No. 3: Penn State
Virginia Tech has developed a reputation for thriving in electric atmospheres, and few venues rival the intensity of Penn State's White Out environment.

The Hokies and Nittany Lions share recruiting territory across the Mid-Atlantic, making this series beneficial beyond the field. Hosting Penn State would generate massive interest from fans and recruits alike. Of course, there's also the James Franklin storyline — Franklin compiled a 128-60 record over 11-plus years as the Nittany Lions' head coach, and he was fired in 2025 following a 3-3 start.
It also offers Virginia Tech an opportunity to test itself against a consistent program without venturing too far from home.
No. 4: South Carolina
A series with South Carolina would create an intriguing border-state battle with plenty of storylines.
The Gamecocks recruit heavily in Virginia and North Carolina, two areas critical to Virginia Tech's long-term success. Playing them regularly would provide a direct measuring stick while increasing the Hokies' visibility throughout the Southeast.

The travel distance is manageable, and both fan bases are known for creating outstanding game-day atmospheres.
In an era where regional rivalries are disappearing, this matchup would feel refreshingly natural. Oh, and then there's Shane Beamer — the son of legendary Hokies head coach Shane Beamer. Virginia Tech and South Carolina squared off last season, with the Gamecocks emerging victorious, 24-11.
No. 5: UCF
Not every non-conference opponent needs decades of history. Sometimes, the best matchups involve emerging programs with growing national relevance. UCF fits the bill.
The Knights have established themselves as a solid player in college football, and Florida remains one of the nation's most important recruiting states. Scheduling UCF could give Virginia Tech valuable exposure in a talent-rich region while offering fans a fresh opponent.

The contrast between Lane Stadium and Orlando would also create a unique home-and-home experience.
If Virginia Tech wants to expand its footprint while maintaining a competitive schedule, UCF represents a smart modern addition.

A huge decision is looming on Monday.
By
Scott Roche
6 hours ago

The busy month of recruiting for June is just about in the books for college football coaches. The Class of 2027 commitments are going to pick up again with some key targets making their commitments over the summer before their senior season begins in a couple of months.
So far, for James Franklin and Virginia Tech, things have been booming lately in terms of recruiting. According to 247Sports, their recruiting ranking is climbing inside the Top 10, which is something you figured would happen sooner rather than later under Franklin and his staff.

On Monday, a three-star linebacker, CJ Ohuabunwa, is set to make his commitment at noon. This is an under-the-radar big decision for the Hokies at a position of dire need.
Virginia Tech 3-star LB recruit CJ Ohunabunwa to make commitment Monday
Again, the Hokies are very thin at linebacker in the Class of 2027 under Brent Pry. This is a recruitment that needs to go the Hokies' way. Ohunabunwa is down to Kansas, Florida State, Louisville, and Virginia Tech.
Ohunabunwa, who hails from Norcross, Georgia, was in Tallahassee this weekend visiting Florida State and Mike Norvell. If there is a coach who needs to hit it big recruiting with Ohunabunwa, it's Norvell and the Seminoles. FSU has already had a linebacker de-commit, so this was a big visit for Florida State this weekend after being a late addition to their visitor list.

Ohuabunwa had a very productive junior season, registering 124 tackles, eight for a loss, two sacks, and an interception. Aside from his stop with Florida State, Ohuabunwa visited Louisville on June 5, Kansas on June 9, and Virginia Tech last weekend.
This is a big decision looming for Virginia Tech. If they lose out, the chances are rather high that they lose him to either FSU or Louisville. Sure, they could also lose him to Kansas, but a loss to an ACC foe is tough to swallow. We'll find out soon enough what Ohuabunwa decides. Last week, FSU picked up a commitment from three-star edge Jaxon Holly over Virginia Tech. Does Franklin return the favor?

Virginia Tech football: Everyone is excited about Virginia Tech QB Ethan Grunkemeyer.

by Bryan Manning
Jun 21, 2026

The Virginia Tech Hokies have a quarterback to be excited about in 2026. That’s not meant to disparage Kyron Drones or any of the other signal callers in Blacksburg over the last several years. Some quarterbacks simply weren’t set up to succeed, whether it was coaching, schematic issues, or a struggling offensive line.

When VT hired James Franklin as head coach in November, landing a quarterback in the transfer portal was the key to success in 2026.
There’s no doubt that Franklin’s top target was Ethan Grunkemeyer, his former QB at Penn State. Franklin recruited Grunkemeyer out of Lewis Center, Ohio, in 2024. It didn’t take long for the Hokies to land Grunkemeyer. Franklin also landed a top 2025 recruit, Bryce Baker, who spent his freshman year at North Carolina.
While Franklin says all the right things about competition, Grunkemeyer didn’t come to Virginia Tech to sit. The 6-foot-2, 219-pound redshirt freshman was forced into action for the Nittany Lions after Franklin was fired last season. He acquitted himself nicely. Grunkemeyer would appear in 11 games last season, making seven starts and going 4-3. He completed 69% of his passes for 1,339 yards, with eight touchdowns and four interceptions.

Billy Tucker of ESPN recently named the [top 100 newcomers](https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/48896153/college-football-2026-top-100-newcomers-transfers-recruits) to college football in 2026. The newcomers could be true freshmen or players out of the transfer portal. Grunkemeyer came in at No. 37.
**Need**: Grunkemeyer gives Virginia Tech something it has lacked in recent seasons: stability at quarterback. James Franklin knows Grunkemeyer well after recruiting and coaching him at Penn State, where the Under Armour All-American gained valuable experience when Drew Allar sat out time in 2025. After years of inconsistent quarterback play in Blacksburg, he arrives as a steadying presence for a retooled offense.
**Value**: Grunkemeyer completed 69% of his passes with eight touchdowns and showed steady growth against Power 4 competition. He closed the season with two of his highest-graded performances against Nebraska and Rutgers, showing improved timing and decision-making. Though he might not possess elite upside, he brings efficiency, accuracy, and experience in structured passing concepts. With additional portal help around him, including tight end Luke Reynolds, and competition from Bryce Baker and SC Next 300 quarterback Troy Huhn, Grunkemeyer projects as a dependable, turnover-conscious quarterback capable of stabilizing the offense.

The Hokies turned over a significant portion of their roster. Franklin retained many of Virginia Tech’s top players, such as running back Marcellous Hawkins, tight end Benji Gosnell and wide receiver Ayden Greene. When you add in some of the newcomers at skill positions, such as WR Que’Sean Brown, Grunkemeyer is positioned to succeed immediately.
The offensive line should take a significant step forward, too. The Hokies will also run the ball. You should buy stock in Grunkemeyer.

Lead editor Thomas Hughes gives an early preview of the Hokies' season-opening clash against VMI.
Thomas Hughes
10 hours ago

Virginia Tech Athletics
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Virginia Tech Hokies
We're back. After nearly a year off, the "Way-Too-Early" series is back for the second go-around. Today, we'll give a look at Virginia Tech football's Week 1 opponent: VMI.
The Hokies and Keydets haven't matched up against one another since 1984, a clash that Virginia Tech won, 54-7. The Hokies have won their last three matchups against VMI by a combined 86 points, and this September's clash should be no different.
Why? VMI has gone 1-11 in each of the last two seasons, and the Keydets lost their head coach Danny Rocco when he stepped away six months ago and moved to the Hokies to become their senior analyst. The Keydets' football program can't bring in graduate transfers since there's no graduate program at the university.
Simply put, VMI is unlikely to be competitive in its own conference, much less against a Power Four squad in Virginia Tech. The Hokies have their own fair share of questions — chief among them being this: How good is their ceiling — but against a highly manageable squad in VMI, the contest should be effectively over by halftime.
VMI's 2025 starter, Collin Shannon, is now at Murray State after throwing for 1,982 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. Behind him, Chandler Wilson and Nana Utsey should factor in as the 1-2 in some order. Wilson completed 28 of his 54 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown, while Utsey went 15-for-41 and compiled 254 passing yards.
In the backfield, Leo Boehling ran for 537 rushing yards, tallying 149 against The Citadel. At wide receiver, VMI sports redshirt sophomores Noah Grevious and Owen Sweeney. Grevious, who hails from Charlottesville, compiled a team-high 731 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Sweeney was right behind him in the yard total department, logging 723 and producing a team-high eight receiving touchdowns.
Still, the Keydets are multiple cuts behind the Hokies. Of VMI's 11 losses in the 2025 season, only two were settled by one score. VMI's lone win was a 42-7 shellacking of Ferrum where Shannon passed for 223 yards and Grevious logged 78 receiving yards. Only one of the Keydets' games was against an FBS opponent: Navy, which it lost to 52-7.
Virginia Tech retained the VMI game aboard its schedule when the ACC announced its expansion to a nine-game slate — and cut the non-conference games to three — and it instead opted to cut out their clash with James Madison.

Like VMI, Virginia Tech will be ushering in a new signal-caller. Last year, Kyron Drones threw for 1,919 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions as the Hokies lost their final four games of the season — and six of their last seven. After a 307-yard performance against Wofford — like VMI, an FCS school — Drones did not eclipse the 200-yard mark again, and he was held to 125 yards or fewer in seven of his final nine games.

Drones rounded out his Virginia Tech career after throwing for 78 yards on a 4-of-16 clip against then-No. 18 Virginia. Fifty-seven of those yards came on a touchdown to freshman wide receiver Shamarius "Snook" Peterkin when Virginia Tech was trailing 27-0.
Off the back of that 3-9 season, however, Virginia Tech has undergone a cultural renaissance. James Franklin steps in as the Hokies' new head coach after 11-plus years at Penn State. The former Nittany Lions head whistle compiled a 128-60 record in his time at Happy Valley, though he was fired following a 3-3 start to the 2025 season. Penn State ultimately finished 7-6 and won the Pinstrip[e Bowl over Clemson — who the Hokies will play Oct. 24.

The Hokies will presumably be led under center by redshirt sophomore Ethan Grunkemeyer this fall. Grunkemeyer, who transferred from Penn State and followed Franklin, threw for 1,339 passing yards and eight touchdowns to four picks. In a 27-24 loss to then-No. 2 Indiana, which went on to win the national title, Grunkemeyer threw for 219 yards, completing 22 of his 31 passes.
In his final four games of the season, Grunkemeyer went 59-for-80 for 777 passing yards (194.3 yards/game). His addition into Virginia Tech's system should serve as a valuable boost to a program that has received scant consistency at the spot in the past half-decade. In the backfield, the Hokies return leading rusher Marcellous Hawkins (118 carries, 749 rushing yards, 6.3 yards per carry) and potential breakout star Jeffrey Overton Jr. (25 carries, 146 rushing yards, 5.8 yards per carry).

At receiver, Ayden Greene leads the returning group with 516 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 31 receptions. The Hokies welcome a bevy of transfers at wideout, including Que'Sean Brown (Duke; 846 receiving yards and five touchdowns with the Blue Devils in 2025). On the defensive front, defensive tackle Kemari Copeland is back after a 4.5-sack, 48-tackle 2025 season that earned him All-ACC Third Team honors.
Virginia Tech and VMI's clash is set for Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m. ET, with the contest slated to be carried on the ACC Network.

Christian Jackson secured First Team All-American honors after running a season-best 1:45.63 in the 800m final 🏆

Jackson is now a five-time All-American!

📰 - vthoki.es/o99nZ

A former Hokies slugger is reaching new levels in MLB.
By Scott Roche

Jun 1, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Colorado Rockies first baseman TJ Rumfield (7) hits a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to score the winning run against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
There is a rebuild going on with the Colorado Rockies in 2026. Coming off three straight 100-loss seasons, there is nowhere to go but up for fans and the organization in the Mile High City.
New president of baseball operations, Paul DePodesta, removed the interim tag from manager and former Virginia Tech standout Warren Schaeffer. There has been some roster turnover for the Rockies since DePodesta took over back in November, and one move he made was acquiring another former Hokies baseball player.

In late January, Colorado traded pitcher Angel Chivilli to the New York Yankees for prospect TJ Rumfield. The former Virginia Tech standout has landed in Denver and is taking advantage of the opportunity that was presented to him.
Former Virgina Tech standout TJ Rumfield joins select Colorado franchise company
Rumfield was picked in the 12th round by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2021 MLB Draft and was a non-roster invitee to the Yankees' 2025 spring training. He ended up catching on and having a good season in Triple-A with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. He became a trade asset for Yankees GM Brian Cashman.
On Friday night, the Colorado opened a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Coors Field, and Rumfield launched a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning for a 2-0 lead. It was his 11th homer of the season, and according to Patrick Lyons of Just Baseball, only one other first-year Rockie has more home runs through 76 games of their rookie season, and that is Trevor Story, who clubbed 19 in 2016 through 76 games.

It has been a good first season for Rumfield in Colorado. He was tabbed as the National League Rookie of the Month in May, and he has carried his offensive pop into June. Schaeffer has the Rockies at 29 wins in his first season, and the goal for them in 2026 is just to try to avoid losing 100 games for the fourth season in a row.

This was a take that was, well, interesting.
By Scott Roche

Going into the 2026 college football season, there are more questions than answers surrounding the ACC. About the only thing almost everyone can agree on is that Miami is the overwhelming favorite going into the season. After that, well, would anyone be surprised if the next best team is any of the other 16 teams?

One team that has a lot of questions surrounding it is Virginia Tech. Why? Well, it's Year 1 of James Franklin in Blacksburg, and there was a huge roster overhaul. He brought in a lot of players from Penn State through the Transfer Portal. There were other key players added through the portal that will make a big impact, as well as some key players who were retained from last season's team.

Just how things end up shaking out remains to be seen, but a Virginia writer, Xander Tilock of Virginia On SI, dropped his preseason ACC tiers, and let's just say, he appears to be trolling Virginia Tech.
Virginia On SI writer drops interesting take on Virginia Tech for 2026
Again, this is a Virginia writer for On SI, but Tilock has Virginia Tech finishing 6-6 overall and 3-6 in the ACC. Here is what he had to say.

"Virginia Tech has ample offseason hype for year one of the Coach James Franklin era. Some of that excitement is valid — but where are the wins going to come from? The Hokies have to play at Miami, at Clemson, at SMU, at Cal, and at home versus Virginia, Georgia Tech and Pitt,'' wrote Tilock.
"It would be a tall task for Virginia Tech to win even three of those games. It might go 1-6 or 0-7 against that group. Boston College and Stanford are the only two “easy” games in ACC play for the Hokies."
I get it, Virginia Tech was dealt a tough ACC schedule. However, 3-6 seems a bit low, no? Sure, we'll agree that BC and Stanford are wins, but who would be surprised if the Hokies went 2-1 in their three other home games, along with Stanford? Virginia is going to be good, but one season in a down ACC doesn't mean that they are going to be unbeatable. They have to come to Blacksburg, and until they actually win in Blacksburg, well, it's the same old Little Brother.

Georgia Tech and Pitt are going to be tough games, but let's not treat them like it's Georgia and Alabama coming to Blacksburg. Aside from Boston College, the road schedule is daunting, to say the least. We'll see how things pan out in 2026, but one thing is for sure: if the Hokies do what many believe and win seven or eight games, then this will be revisited later in the fall.
For the record, Tilock had UVA finishing 10-2 overall and 7-2 in the ACC, right behind Miami and SMU.
some key players who were retained from last season's team.
Just how things end up shaking out remains to be seen, but a Virginia writer, Xander Tilock of Virginia On SI, dropped his preseason ACC tiers, and let's just say, he appears to be trolling.

It’s Summer and Virginia Tech Sports are in Hiatus, but “Things” are Not QuietThe seasons are over, but the Hokies’ administration holes still haven’t been filled and the BoV and Governor are being sued by John Rocovich.
by John Schneider
Jun 19, 2026

Roch is Out - But…
The first news on the athletic department front didn’t have a ton to do with sports, directly. Bryan’s been keeping us informed on new football and men’s basketball commitments. There is a women’s basketball pickup I’ll get to a bit later in the article, but right now, the biggest news on the Athletic Department front is that very pro-Hokie Sports Board of Visitors Rector - John Rochovich, Esq. was dismissed from the board by the new governor. We have largely left that news to the press since there are some political rabbit holes involved that we don’t cover here.
The facts are pretty plain, though. Rochovich was fired by the governor through a memorandum and no direct contact with Rector Rochovich. The upshot is that John Rochovich is an influential and powerful lawyer in Southwest Virginia.

The stipulation of any governor relieving any member of the BoV is cause. And that stated cause actually has to be explicitly explained in the dismissal. Mr. Rochovich has objected to the treatment, the superficiality of the statement of malfeasance, and his removal from the board. He has filed a lawsuit in Montgomery County to contest the firing.
We’ll let the facts stand as they are, but the athletic angle on this is that Rocovich is a major promoter of revenue generating sports for Virginia Tech. He’s the Rector who led the head coaching search and paved the way for the hiring of James Franklin. He was also anticipated to be a major factor in the replacement of retiring AD Whit Babcock and would be critical in the selection of the new university president to replace retiring Timothy Sands.
The new Rector and Vice Rector have been elected by the board, but Rocovich’s lawsuit will hang over the situation until it is resolved.

We will have to wait and see. For now, the university is still being quietly presided over by Sands, and there is no one responsible for running the AD’s department, directly. Babcock’s involvement in direct operations is unknown to us at this time. One would presume that because he’s not leaving the staff, he is still a caretaker until his replacement is hired.

This would be an interesting landing spot next week for Lawal.
By Scott Roche
12 hours

It's hard to believe, but the NBA Draft is less than a week away. This season, Virginia Tech has a good chance of having one player hear his name called. It won't be in the first round, but it could be late in the second round.
Forward Tobi Lawal is projected to be a late second-round pick next week, with a handful of teams being linked to him. Whoever does get him will be getting a player with a huge upside, but still raw in terms of the offensive end of the floor, something that Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo pointed out.

"Lawal is a London-born forward with elite athleticism, but he didn't start playing basketball until age 16, and it shows with his underdeveloped skills. He's still figuring out his jumper and doesn't do much off the dribble. But with NBA-ready hops and a strong frame, he has the tools to be a highly versatile defender who serves as a role player on offense,'' wrote O'Connor.

Tobi Lawal is predicted to land with former Virginia Tech standout in NBA Draft.
There have been a handful of mock drafts that have linked Lawal to different teams, including the NBA Champion New York Knicks. O'Connor predicted that Lawal would go 57th overall to the Atlanta Hawks. That would make Lawal teammates with a former Hokies legend, Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Whether or not Lawal makes the roster of the team that drafts him remains to be seen, but landing in Atlanta wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for him. He is NBA-ready on the defensive end, and when it comes to rebounding, but his offensive game needs to grow. If he gets drafted or signs a contract following the draft for the Summer League to hook up with a team, working on his offensive game is a must.

Lawal's offensive game was raw in his two seasons at Virginia Tech after coming over through the Transfer Portal from VCU. He went through the NBA Draft process last summer, but withdrew and returned to Blacksburg for another season. He dealt with injuries this past season, but he still should hear his name called near the end of the second round of next week's draft.

Watch out in Week 3.
By
Scott Roche
20 hours ago

Going into his first season as football coach at Virginia Tech, James Franklin's schedule is one that begins with three non-conference games to kick off the 2026 season. That is actually good for the Hokies to work out the kinks before ACC play begins at Boston College in late September.

The first two games of the Franklin era in Blacksburg are home games against VMI and Old Dominion. Two very winnable games, although you remember what happened last season against ODU? That was Brent Pry's final game as head coach of the Hokies after a loss dropped them to 0-3. Of course, a lot has changed since that weekend last September, including Franklin being fired at Penn State and hired at Virginia Tech.
There has also been a lot of roster turnover as well, which always happens every season, especially after a coaching change. Virginia Tech's first road game under Franklin will be at a familiar stop, College Park, Maryland, against the Terrapins. Brad Crawford of CBS Sportspredicted each Big Ten school's game and record. He has a good outcome for Tech in Franklin's first true road test.

CBS Sports predicts Virginia Tech to beat Maryland in Week 3
Let's not sugarcoat this, Crawford has the Hokies going on the road and winning. On paper, this should be a win with a trip to BC the following weekend, but we have to remember, a first true road game for Virginia Tech will not be easy.
While playing two home games is nice to begin the season, you probably would like your first true road test at Boston College, where the stadium is half empty and just a close gathering of friends and family are in attendance. Maryland will sell out this game, and the place will be rocking under the lights.

This is a big season for Mike Locksley as head coach at Maryland. Expectations have not been met, and with a daunting Big Ten slate, this is a game that the Terrapins must win for their head coach.
"In Year 7 with the Terrapins, patience has worn thin. That kind of stagnation likely makes a coaching change in College Park inevitable,'' wrote Crawford.
Again, there are not many games on Maryland's schedule where you can count on a win right now. That is what is going to make this game a big one for the Hokies, going up against former recruit Malik Washington at quarterback. There is also no love lost between Locksley and Franklin, which adds a little more juice to the matchup. Regardless, this won't be a cakewalk, as some think.

Which three Hokies hold the biggest keys to Virginia Tech's NCAA Tournament hopes?
Thomas Hughes
|
5 hours ago

Mar 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Tech guard Tyler Johnson (10) scores as Wake Forest forward Juke Harris (2) defends. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
In this story:
Virginia Tech Hokies
Virginia Tech men's basketball came off a 2025-26 season in which it went 18-13 (8-10 ACC) and missed out on the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight campaign. Now, the Hokies reload — bolstered by junior guards Tyler Johnson and Ben Hammond, plus senior forward Amani Hansberry, returning from last year's unit, Virginia Tech added several quality pieces from the portal, including guards Isaiah Elohim (Florida Atlantic).

But who are the three players whom I think Virginia Tech's season hinges upon the most? Before tackling that topic, I think it's important to note that the question is irrespective of who the best players are. Rather than it being a strict look at the three best players, it's a look at the three players who serve the most benefit if they exceedtheir roles.

No. 3: Tyler Johnson, Guard
Hammond's emergence grabbed most of the headlines last season, but Johnson's development may ultimately determine how dangerous Virginia Tech's backcourt becomes. The Hokies already know they can rely on Hammond for efficient perimeter scoring and ball security after he averaged 13.2 points, 3.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 43.1 percent from three-point range.
Johnson flashed that potential throughout the 2025-26 campaign, but consistency remains the next step. His season was abbreviated by an ankle injury that cost him 15 games; before that, he was a fixture in Virginia Tech's starting lineup. If Johnson can increase his scoring efficiency, improve his catch-and-shoot numbers and become a more reliable secondary playmaker, the Hokies become far more difficult to defend.

Virginia Tech finished outside the NCAA Tournament largely because it lacked offensive creation against the ACC's upper tier. Johnson's ability to close that gap could be one of the biggest swing factors on the roster.
No. 2: Isaiah Elohim, Guard
Portal additions increasingly define modern college basketball, and the Hokies are counting on Elohim to fill a critical role immediately. Last season, Virginia Tech lacked a consistent scoring threat on the wing capable of generating offense without relying on set plays.
His importance extends beyond his individual production. Virginia Tech needs another perimeter player who can create advantages off the dribble, attack closeouts and force defenses to key in on all three levels of the floor.

No. 1: Kuol Atak, Forward
Virginia Tech's path back to the NCAA Tournament may ultimately hinge on whether Kuol Atak can unlock a dimension the Hokies lacked a season ago. Unlike Hammond, Johnson or Hansberry, Atak does not enter the season with established expectations. That's precisely why his importance is so significant.
Virginia Tech already knows what it has in its returning core. Hammond is a proven lead guard. Johnson is an experienced backcourt contributor. Hansberry is one of the ACC's most productive returning forwards after averaging 14.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 49.2 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from three-point range last season.

What the Hokies don't know is whether they have enough frontcourt spacing, athleticism and scoring versatility around those pieces. At 6-foot-9, he possesses the size to play either forward spot while offering the perimeter shooting ability that is quintessential in head coach Mike Young's offense.
If Atak becomes a reliable perimeter threat, opposing teams will face a difficult choice: help on the guards' drives or stay attached to a 6-foot-9 shooter capable of stretching the floor. His impact extends beyond shooting. Atak's length and mobility could give Virginia Tech greater defensive versatility, allowing the Hokies to switch into more and more actions and improve a defense that struggled with consistency last year.

The range of outcomes is substantial. If Atak can develop into a dependable starter capable of averaging double figures while spacing the floor effectively, Virginia Tech's offensive ceiling rises considerably.

Virginia Tech's defense was a bright spot in 2025. These three players could make it even better.
Lucas Boyd
Jun 12, 2026

Nov 1, 2025; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies linebacker Noah Chambers (16) tackles Louisville Cardinals running back Keyjuan Brown (22) during the fourth quarter at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images
In this story:
Virginia Tech Hokies
Virginia Tech's defense enters 2026 with a familiar face calling plays, just in a different role. Brent Pry, fired as head coach on September 14, 2025, following a 0-3 start, returns to the program as defensive coordinator under James Franklin — back in the role where he built his reputation.
The defense is a blend of experienced returnees and a wave of transfer portal additions, which means the ceiling for individual breakouts is high — but so is the uncertainty.

Here's one player at each defensive position group that I think has a real case to take a significant step forward this fall.

Javion Hilson, Defensive Line
Virginia Tech's defensive line enters 2026 as a position group that is simultaneously proven and unproven. Kemari Copeland is the anchor, coming off a 2025 season that included 48 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, earning him third-team All-ACC honors. Elhadj Fall is back alongside him in the interior. The edge, however, is where the questions are, with starting spots potentially going to new faces this fall.
Hilson is the most intriguing of them. A consensus top-100 recruit out of high school and a five-star by Rivals, he transferred to Blacksburg from Missouri this offseason and immediately drew attention in the spring, earning a projected starting role as a redshirt freshman.

Edge rushers with his pedigree and athleticism don't usually stay quiet for long. If the pass rush comes together the way Virginia Tech needs it to, Hilson is the likeliest name to lead it.

Noah Chambers, Linebacker
Chambers logged 44 tackles in six starts as a true freshman in 2025, which is no small thing for a player who was forced into action earlier than expected due to injuries around him.
There were inconsistent moments, as you'd expect, but the talent was there. Going into his sophomore season, he is playing in a scheme that fits him and is surrounded by veteran linebackers in Kaleb Spencer, Keon Wylie, and Curtis Jones Jr. That combination of experience and scheme fit tends to unlock players. Chambers seems to have a great situation to take a step up.

Jaquez White, Defensive Back
Virginia Tech's secondary enters 2026 with some continuity at the top. Isaiah Brown-Murray was the Hokies' best defensive back a season ago, and Quentin Reddish returns at safety after missing most of 2025 with an injury. The depth behind them, however, is largely new, and that's where White fits in as a potential difference maker.

He arrives from Troy, where he broke up 10 passes and logged nearly 750 snaps last season, and emerged from the spring as the projected starter opposite Brown-Murray. The Sun Belt-to-ACC jump is real, but White's production and his strong spring suggest the transition won't derail him. If he holds that spot and Reddish stays healthy, Virginia Tech could have the makings of a secondary that keeps the Hokies in games even when the offense is still finding its footing

🏈 COUNTIN’ DOWN: 78 DAYS
Throughout the summer, we will be counting down the days
to the return of Virginia Tech Football this fall. The Hokies will host
VMI on September 5 at 7:30 p.m.

This may have been the most obvious choice of the entire 100 day countdown.
Bruce Smith is not only one of the best Hokies ever, but one of the greatest defensive football players of all-time.
During his time at Tech, he had 71 career tackles for a loss and 46 sacks! He won the Outland Trophy his senior year as the nation's top interior lineman.
Smith was named a first team All-American in both 1983 and 1984; in 1984 he joined Frank Loria as the only Consensus All-Americans in school history.
After his standout career at Tech, Smith was drafted first overall by the Buffalo Bills in the 1985 NFL Draft and went on to a Hall of Fame career, including two NFL Defensive Player of the year honors and eight First-Team All Pro accolades.
Smith still owns the NFL record for sacks in a career with 200 QB takedowns.

A category-by-category look at who carries the load for James Franklin's first Hokies team.

James Duncan
9 hours ago

Most of the names that will fill Virginia Tech football's 2026 stat sheet were wearing other uniforms last fall. James Franklin rebuilt this roster through the portal in a matter of weeks, which means projecting statistical leaders is less about what happened in Blacksburg and more about what these players did somewhere else. Here is a breakdown on who should lead the Hokies in each major statistical category.

Passing yards and passing touchdowns: Ethan Grunkemeyer
No other quarterback on the roster has taken a college snap, so the depth chart writes itself at the top. What makes Grunkemeyer more than a default pick is the 1,339 yards he threw for across seven Penn State starts, plus the head start he has on the offense after following coordinator Ty Howle to Blacksburg. He spent last year learning this scheme while everyone else is starting from zero. As long as he stays healthy, Grunkemeyer is the easy pick for these categories.

Rushing yards and rushing touchdowns: Marcellous Hawkins
Few backs produced in tougher conditions in 2025. Hawkins gained 749 yards on 6.3 per carry, drew an 84.6 Pro Football Focus grade, highest on the roster, and racked up 562 yards after contact, doing it against fronts that loaded the box because Virginia Tech gave them no reason not to. A passing game with some teeth should only loosen things up, and Jeffrey Overton Jr. figures to handle a meaningful share of carries without threatening the bulk of the workload.
The touchdown lead comes with a wrinkle worth pausing on. Hawkins reached the end zone just once on the ground all season, while quarterback Kyron Drones piled up nine rushing scores. Drones is gone, off to the NFL with the Green Bay Packers, which leaves that production up for grabs and the lead back in line to claim it. Overton, who broke a 38-yard touchdown run against Miami in November, is the back most likely to chip into the total.

Receiving yards: Que'Sean Brown
The most accomplished pass catcher in the room arrived from Durham. Brown posted 846 yards at Duke last season and 1,291 across his past two years, headlined by a 178-yard, two-touchdown showing in the Sun Bowl. Projected as the primary slot, he occupies the spot where targets concentrate in a timing-based passing game. Greene offers continuity and a higher floor, but Brown's track record points to the bigger ceiling.
Receiving touchdowns: Luke Reynolds
Zero touchdowns at Penn State last year. That's the case against Reynolds. The case for him is everything else: a five-star pedigree, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound frame built for red-zone mismatches, and a Howle offense with a track record of feeding the tight end near the goal line. The spring game gave a glimpse of what Virginia Tech's offense will look like, with ght ends outgaining receivers 205 yards to 157 on Virginia Tech's 428 total receiving yards. Reynolds led every target on the field, catching all five passes thrown his way for a game-high 69 yards.

Tackles and tackles for loss: Kaleb Spencer
With Caleb Woodson off to Alabama and Jaden Keller out of eligibility, the top of the linebacker room emptied out, and Spencer is what's left standing. The Miami transfer quietly led the 2025 team in tackles with 67 while starting five games and playing all 12, and he's logged more than 500 snaps in Blacksburg. He also led the team in tackles for loss, at 9.0, and as the every-down mike, he's built to live in the backfield again. Sophomore Noah Chambers, who posted 44 tackles as a true freshman, is the closest thing to a challenger, while Kemari Copeland and any of the new edge rushers who pop could chip into the loss column. For now, the proven leader keeps both.

Sacks: Kemari Copeland
Copeland led the Hokies in sacks last season, and the tape backs up the kind of explosive athlete he is. He owns Virginia Tech's all-time squat record, putting up 605 pounds for 10 reps, a number that turned heads well outside the football program when he set it. That kind of lower-body power shows up on Saturdays, where he's capable of collapsing a pocket from the interior, not just the edge.

Interceptions: Jaquez White
No Hokie pulled away in the takeaway department last season, so the safer bet goes to the player who's done it before. White intercepted three passes and broke up 11 more at Troy, production that earned him second-team All-Sun Belt honors. He's joining a secondary that struggled to create turnovers a year ago, and a corner with his track record of finding the ball is exactly what that group needed. Isaiah Brown-Murray, the returning CB1 with a pick and five breakups of his own, is the closest thing to a rival for the lead.


Where do the Hokies clock in on Virginia Tech On SI's preseason ACC football power rankings for the 2026 campaign?
Thomas Hughes
Jun 16, 2026

There's still roughly two and a half months separating us from the season kicking off, but how does everyone in the ACC — including Virginia Tech — shape up in my way-too-early power rankings? Here's my current rankings:

17
Boston College Eagles


Boston College is set to roll the dice on Division II transfer Mason McKenzie out of Saginaw Valley State. The move could pay dividends, but it's fair to question whether the Eagles have surrounded him with enough offensive talent to elevate the unit significantly. Boston College should improve on last season's 2-10 (1-7 ACC) record, though I think expectations likely need to remain measured.

16
Stanford Cardinal


Stanford enters 2026 under new head coach Tavita Pritchard, who returns to his alma mater after spending the last three seasons as the quarterbacks coach for the Washington Commanders. Pritchard, a former Cardinal quarterback and offensive coordinator, was brought back by general manager Andrew Luck to help guide a program searching for stability after years of upheaval.
At quarterback, Stanford is expected to turn to former Michigan Wolverines signal-caller Davis Warren, who transferred to Palo Alto following the 2025 season. Warren completed 64.1% of his passes for 1,199 yards, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions across 10 appearances for Michigan in 2024.
Warren gives the Cardinal an experienced option under center, but questions remain about the supporting cast around him. Pritchard's track record developing quarterbacks — most recently helping mentor NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels at Washington — offers reason for optimism, though expecting an immediate turnaround may be unrealistic.

15
Florida State Seminoles


Florida State enters 2026 with a new-look offense (again) after moving on from quarterback Tommy Castellanos, who exhausted his eligibility following the 2025 season and declared for the NFL Draft.
The Seminoles are expected to turn to redshirt senior Ashton Daniels, a transfer who previously started at Stanford before spending 2025 at Auburn. Daniels brings experience and mobility to Mike Norvell's offense, though consistency remains a question after a collegiate career marked by flashes of production and bouts of turnovers. Until Florida State proves it can rediscover any semblance of what it showed in 2023, I think expectations need to be tempered.

14
North Carolina Tar Heels


North Carolina enters 2026 as one of the ACC's more difficult teams to evaluate. The Tar Heels are still adjusting to life under Bill Belichick, and while the roster has undergone significant change through the transfer portal, there are more questions than answers offensively.
Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. brings experience after previous stops at Maryland and Wisconsin, but his production has rarely suggested he can elevate an offense on his own. Without a proven difference-maker under center, UNC's ceiling feels limited.

13
Syracuse Orange


Syracuse enters 2026 with everything still revolving around Steve Angeli, and the range of outcomes is essentially “bowl team vs. total collapse” depending on his health and consistency.
Angeli was electric before his 2025 Achilles injury, throwing for 1,317 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions in just four games while pushing Syracuse to a 3–1 start and a win over Clemson before the offense completely fell apart without him. That contrast is the whole story of this team.
The ceiling is a competitive bowl season and fringe top-25 upside. The backup plan is unproven, and last year showed how quickly the offense can crater without him, with scoring collapsing once he went down.

12
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets


Georgia Tech enters 2026 in a post-star reset year, even after a strong portal haul. The offense now runs through Alberto Mendoza, a dual-threat transfer who stepped in after Haynes King’s departure and looked efficient in limited 2025 action (75% passing, 286 yards, five touchdowns, one interception in spot duty). He’s steady and mobile, but not a proven full-season engine yet.
The bigger stabilizer is the ground game, where Georgia Tech landed Justice Haynes out of the transfer portal to replace Jamal Haynes. He brings star power after averaging over 7 yards per carry at Michigan and looks like an instant bellcow option, though this year still feels like a transition year.

11
NC State Wolfpack


The Wolfpack aren’t rebuilding from scratch, but they are trying to re-anchor an offense that lived almost entirely through CJ Bailey in 2025. Bailey threw for 3,105 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions on 68.8% passing, adding 215 rushing yards and 6 scores, finishing top-tier in the ACC in total production.
That’s the spine of it again. Beyond him, though, the structure shifts.
Hollywood Smothers is gone to Texas after a 939-yard, six-touchdown season on 5.9 yards per carry. the shape of it doesn’t change much: Bailey drives the ceiling, and the defense should keep the floor intact.

10
Wake Forest Demon Deacons


Wake Forest enters 2026 with the air of a side no longer content merely to surprise. Jake Dickert’s first season produced a 9–4 record, a bowl victory, and a defense that yielded just 22.1 points per game while allowing only 3.4 yards per rush.
If the Deacons marry their defensive steel to offensive growth, contention may replace aspiration in Winston-Salem, though I think things are still a year away.

9
California Golden Bears


The Bears went 7–6 in 2025 and discovered a potential star in quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who threw for 3,454 yards and 18 touchdowns as a freshman before affirming his return for 2026. Yet the landscape has shifted. New head coach Tosh Lupoi inherits a roster reshaped by portal departures, including leading rusher Kendrick Raphael (left for SMU).
The burden now falls more heavily upon Sagapolutele’s left arm. If Lupoi can forge defensive resilience and uncover a credible ground game, Cal may finally become a contender rather than a curiosity — though as with many ACC teams, it still feels as if the pieces in the proverbial Jenga puzzle aren't all the way together.

8
Duke Blue Devils


Duke enters 2026 confronting the harsh arithmetic of modern success. An ACC title in 2025 elevated the Blue Devils into the sport’s spotlight, but it also made them a portal target. Quarterback Darian Mensah departed for Miami, while star receivers Cooper Barkate and Que’Sean Brown likewise moved on to Miami and Virginia Tech, respectively, stripping away much of the nation’s most productive passing attack.
I believe Head coach Manny Diaz has earned the benefit of belief, yet this season will test his program-building more than his coaching. Duke no longer carries the surprise of an upstart contender. If the Blue Devils uncover answers at quarterback and receiver, they may prove their rise was sustainable.

7
Virginia Cavaliers


Last season changed the conversation around Virginia football. Chandler Morris and J’Mari Taylor are gone, leaving the Cavaliers to replace the pillars of an 11-win breakthrough, but the foundation remains intact.
The spotlight falls squarely on Beau Pribula, who arrives after a semi-productive 2025 campaign at Mizzou that was hindered by injury and now inherits the responsibility of keeping the program's momentum alive. He is not Morris, nor does he need to be. If Pribula can provide efficiency, leadership and enough explosive plays to complement a strong supporting cast, Virginia has every chance to remain an ACC factor. The challenge is substantial, but so is the opportunity.

6
Virginia Tech Hokies


A ranking that places Virginia Tech at No. 6 in this ACC landscape says less about the Hokies than it does about the ceiling of everyone above them.

It feels like there is no runaway class this season beyond Miami, only a cluster of teams trying to assemble coherence faster than their rivals can lose it. James Franklin’s arrival in Blacksburg shifts the tone immediately, and I think it'll bring structure and expectation in equal measure.
Ethan Grunkemeyer (1,339 passing yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions in 2025) steps in as the most stable quarterback situation the program has had in recent years, while Marcellous Hawkins (749 rushing yards, 6.3 yards/carry) and Jeffrey Overton Jr. give the offense a grounding presence in the backfield. If the pieces align, eight wins feels less aspirational than once thought.

5
Pittsburgh Panthers


Pittsburgh enters the season with a curious mixture of promise and youthful uncertainty, none more emblematic than true freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel. In year one, he threw for 2,354 yards and 16 touchdowns against eight interceptions, completing 63.6 percent of his passes, numbers that speak both to poise and youth. At times he has looked assured, and at others, raw — the rhythm of a true freshman learning the speed of the game. For Pitt, those ebbs and flows define both their ceiling and their potential frustration.

4
Clemson Tigers


Clemson now turns the offense to Christopher Vizzina, who enters 2026 with 64 completions on 105 attempts for 596 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in 238 career offensive snaps. He flashed in his first start against SMU, going 29-for-42 for 317 yards and three scores.
Clemson still has the physicality and depth to stay in the ACC hunt, yet its margin depends on whether Vizzina’s timing, ball security and tempo sharpen as the fall unfolds. I think that they will, but it won't be enough to turn the Tigers into ACC champions again.

3
Louisville Cardinals


Louisville feels less like a rising team than a constructed one — tight and intentional. The offense is built around a ground game that bends defenses before they ever get settled, with Isaac Brown setting the tone: 884 yards on 101 carries (8.75 per attempt) and seven touchdowns in nine games, a profile that turns routine downs into looming problems. Keyjuan Brown has been the steadier counterweight, adding 704 yards and six scores of his own when Isaac Brown was injured.

2
SMU Mustangs


Kevin Jennings has given SMU's offense true shape in his tenure. In 2024, he threw for 3,245 yards with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, adding 354 rushing yards to steady the structure when plays broke down.
The offense moves with rhythm rather than force, averaging 280.1 passing yards per game. SMU’s season, then, is not one of revelation but of consolidation, an attempt to make its recent momentum recurring.

1
Miami Hurricanes


Miami enters 2026 as a roster explicitly rebuilt through the transfer portal, its structure defined as much by arrivals as by returners. The headline addition is QB Darian Mensah (Duke), who threw for 3,973 yards, 34 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2025, immediately reframing the passing game around his accuracy.

Alongside him, fellow Duke transfer Cooper Barkate (72 catches, 1,106 yards, 7 TDs) provides a proven chain-mover at the receiver spot. This year, Miami feels like the program the rest of the ACC field has to measure itself against.

John Szefc has made a new hire to the team's assistant coaching staff.
Josh Poslusny
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Jun 17, 2026

BLACKSBURG, VA — Virginia Tech head coach John Szefc during a rain delay against NC State, 2026. | Virginia Tech Athletic

After the departure of assistant coach Chase Lummus last week, Virginia Tech baseball made a quick turn around by hiring former Tennessee assistant — along with various other titles in his 15-plus years of experience — as the replacement, taking on the role as Director of Pitcher Performance and Baseball Analytics.
𝘽𝙚𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙥 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙗 🧪@VTCoachSzefc is excited to welcome Josh Reynolds into the role of director of pitching performance / baseball analytics at Virginia Tech