100 Days to Kickoff: Opponent Previews – Virginia Tech

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Georgia Tech travels to Blacksburg, Virginia, to take on the Hokies in Week Seven. Virginia Tech will have the eyes of the nation on them in 2026, as they made one of the best hires of the offseason when they snagged Penn State’s James Franklin. Last year, Franklin went from having the number two team in the preseason to being fired on October 12th after a Week Seven loss to Northwestern. Many think this was unfair, but the Hokies jumped on the opportunity and hired Franklin on November 17th. Not only does the Virginia Tech coaching staff have some new faces, but the roster is revamped as well. There is a lot of hope in Blacksburg, and things really can’t get much worse, as Virginia Tech went 3-9 last season and has only one winning season since 2020. How much can a program turn around in just one year? James Franklin may help us find out. 

Offensively, the Hokies will certainly be better than last year. In 2025, the Hokies ranked 95th in overall offense and struggled to score more than 24 points against a conference opponent, doing so only once in a double-overtime game against Cal. To help jumpstart the offense, Franklin brought in familiar faces from Penn State, such as co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Ty Howle, who took over as Virginia Tech’s offensive coordinator. He also brought in sophomore quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer. In seven starts for the Nittany Lions in 2025, Grunkemeyer threw for 1,339 yards and eight touchdowns, showing enough promise to enter Blacksburg as the favorite to lead the Hokies’ offense. Virginia Tech also adds former UNC quarterback Bryce Baker through the transfer portal. While Baker is unlikely to beat Grunkemeyer for the starting role this year, he provides valuable depth and has the potential to be a starter down the road. 

Grunkemeyer will have a solid group of playmakers at his disposal. Veteran wide receiver Ayden Greene returns after leading the Hokies with 31 receptions for 516 yards and three touchdowns in 2025. The biggest addition, however, is former Duke standout, Que’Sean Brown. He was one of the top receivers in the transfer portal, hauling in 64 receptions for 846 yards last season, and has all the tools to become one of the ACC’s best pass catchers in 2026. The Hokies also added receiver Marlion Jackson from Louisiana Tech, who averaged more than 18 yards per reception in 2025, giving Virginia Tech another proven deep threat. 

At running back, they return Marcellous Hawkins, who averaged over six yards per carry last year. Bill Davis transfers over from Louisiana while checking in at 5’9”, 230 pounds. I don’t even want to know how big his quads are. In his sophomore year with the Rajin’ Cajuns, he had 767 yards and six touchdowns. Hawkins and Davis could be one of the top duos in the ACC at running back that is very underrated in the preseason. 

Things are looking good for the Hokies, but there are some concerns and questions about the offensive line. The Hokies were 34th in the nation in rushing last season, but they also gave up an abysmal 29 sacks and had poor pass protection overall, so there needs to be focus on improvement. Fortunately, they added two transfers: Justin Terry from Ohio State and Logan Howland from Oklahoma, and four of five starters from 2025 are returning. Virginia Tech is also ecstatic about its tight end group and believes it has great potential to help in both the pass game and run blocking, especially after bringing in Penn State TE Luke Reynolds. 

The offense as a whole is under a lot of pressure to perform, as this group has not clicked in quite a while. The Hokies have been 0-19 since 2022, when they failed to score more than 20 points in a game. Scoring needs to improve in Blacksburg if they want a chance at success. 

James Franklin made one of the most head-scratching moves of the college football offseason by hiring ex-head coach Brent Pry as his defensive coordinator. There are quite a lot of problems to fix after last year, so it will be interesting to see if Pry can improve his coaching abilities as a coordinator. Franklin did well in the transfer portal on defense, and if the talent they picked up translates to the field, there is guaranteed to be improvement. Franklin brought over several talented pass rushers in the portal, including Penn State transfers Mylachi Williams, Daniel Jennings, and Cortez Harris. They also brought in former top-100 recruit Javion Hilson from Missouri, Curtis Jones from West Virginia, and Samuel Okunlola from Colorado. The linebacker unit will cause some havoc in the ACC, as they bring in Penn State veteran Keon Wylie and also return team-leading tackler Kaleb Spencer and starter Noah Chambers. I think the biggest get on defense for Virginia Tech was not a transfer, but someone they were able to retain. Defensive lineman Kemari Copeland was the leader of this defense last year and did not get enough credit for his work. He returns to Blacksburg with a lot of help around him this time. 

Another aspect that James Franklin must focus on improving for any chance of success is winning the turnover battle. In 2025, Virginia Tech was tied for dead last in the nation in takeaways, only being able to come up with six. They bring in UConn’s Cam Chadwick Jr. to help with this issue, as he had 66 tackles, four interceptions, and four passes defended last season. Not only must the offense score points, but the defense must improve and force more turnovers in 2026. 

Virginia Tech endured one of the worst seasons in program history last year, but that disappointment could quickly become a distant memory after the complete overhaul in Blacksburg. James Franklin has made it clear that he intends to turn the program around, and he brought in the coaches and the talent to make that happen. Now, the only question is how quickly those changes will translate to success on the field. 

The Jackets will have their work cut out for them as they will face an improved defense and a talented young quarterback. This has the makings of one of the top matchups in the ACC this year, and could very well determine who makes it to Charlotte. Circle this one on your calendar, folks.

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