Notes and Quotes From James Franklin's Sept. 9th Post-Practice Media Availability

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BLACKSBURG – Three days from now, Virginia Tech football will embark on its second game of the 2026 campaign when it hosts Old Dominion at home. Today, Hokies head coach James Franklin was open for questions after five media-available practice segments. Here are the five most pertinent notes from that session and the practice:

No. 1: Virginia Tech's scout team quarterbacks are adorning No. 10 – the number of Old Dominion quarterback Quinn Heinicle – which likely means Bryce Baker is the backup for Saturday.

Virginia Tech's scout team quarterbacks for this week were Kelden Ryan and Troy Huhn. That presumably means that Bryce Baker, who went 10-for-12 for 127 yards and a touchdown, is set to back up starter Ethan Grunkemeyer on Saturday against the Monarchs. Grunkemeyer went 17-for-20 against the Keydets, scoring two passing touchdowns and exiting after the Hokies were up 52-0 in the third quarter.

Ryan and Huhn have been rotating back and forth, per Franklin.

"Sometimes, Kelden's going to give us a better look on the [developmental squad], and some weeks it's going to be Troy based on the style of quarterback we're playing," Franklin said. "We try to rotate those guys kind of every team period. Sometimes Coach Pry is going to be obviously have a stronger opinion on who he wants. But they've done a nice job. I've been very impressed with both of them."

No. 2: Several injury/availability notes were visible at Wednesday's practice.

Tech Sideline's Andy Bitter reported that center Kyle Altuner's right leg was in a sleeve and that he was working with the second team in 1-on-1 drills, while backup Tommy Ricard took the first-team reps for that drill. Altuner exited after Luke Reynolds' touchdown against VMI that elevated the lead to 52-0 early in the third quarter.

Center Kyle Altuner had his right leg in a sleeve. #Hokies had him working with the twos in 1-on-1 drills. Normal backup Tommy Ricard was with the ones.
– Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) September 9, 2026

As for Ricard, Franklin said that he's "really done a nice job all summer."

"He's great in the weight room," Franklin said. "… It's translating to the field now, playing powerful, explosive. He's doing a great job for us on special teams, too."

Wide receivers Keylen "Brodie" Adams, Luke Stuewe, Takye Heath and Shamarius "Snook" Peterkin were on the sideline, watching drills Thursday; the trio did not play in Saturday's season opener against VMI. Against the Keydets, Ayden Greene, Que'Sean Brown and Davion "FatRat" Brown started at wide receiver, with Marlion Jackson, Tyseer Denmark and A.J. Brand listed as the backups on the depth chart for the VMI game.

Nickelbacks Isaiah-Brown Murray and Kenny Woseley were visible practicing after neither played against VMI – a byproduct of VMI's usage of a triple-option offense making Virginia Tech lean towards a traditional 4-3 defense and of the two going through "bumps and bruises" per Franklin. Defensive tackle Emmett Laws was at practice in a Catapult training vest, though he was not in helmets or pads. Laws was in shells last week.

No. 3: Franklin noted Virginia Tech's 4-3 all-time record against Old Dominion and believes the Monarchs deserve the respect.

Virginia Tech is 2-2 in its last two games against the Monarchs; the losses came in 2022 and 2025, bookending Brent Pry's tenure as head coach. Last year's defeat dropped the Hokies to 0-3 that year, their worst start since the 1987 season. Franklin said Monday that the team won't need any "bulletin-board material" , but that it will need its fans.

"I'm embarassed to say this, but I didn't realize [that] we've played this opponent seven times [and] we've lost three," Franklin said. "It's not what I thought it was in terms of the record. Kept hearing about the last two losses we had… [but] in 2018, we were ranked No. 13 in the country when we lost. I hope everybody is giving [the Monarchs] the respect that they deserve because they're going to come in our stadium confident and expecting to win. … We've got an opponent that's coming in the stadium that's going to expect to beat us.

"I've got a ton of respect for their coaching staff, and we better be ready to go."

No. 4: D.Q. Smith continues to develop.

Smith, a four-year player at South Carolina, is currently eligible to play. The fifth-year defensive back is now through the NCAA's mandatory acclimation period, which requires a five-day process upgrading to full work.

"Yesterday was really his first practice," Franklin said. "… The coaches feel like he's a fast learner. He's played a ton of football, … I'll have a better idea today after watching the tape. … He's super lean, and he picks up things really fast. We're expecting him to contribute this weekend, but I'll have a better idea obviously later in the week."

"Ton of experience," said safety Quentin Reddish of Smith. "He's a great character – he definitely is going to be valuable to the safety room."

No. 5: Virginia Tech is trying to simulate the game time in Lane Stadium for preparation.

Virginia Tech has done both a 12 p.m. and night practice in the stadium on separate occasions to prepare the team for game time situations. The Hokies' game against VMI kicked off at 7:30 p.m. ET, while its Old Dominion game is set for a 12 p.m. kick.

"We talked about a night game and what that was going to mean, what our schedule was going to be like," Franklin said. "This will be different – very different. We're going to wake up and essentially eat and play the game, so it will be a very different schedule in the hotel; we'll get less meetings and less walkthroughs… Having a night game to start the season was valuable for us because, literally, we probably got two extra meetings and two extra walkthroughs in. It will be different this week, and we've just got to get them ready for it and know what to expect."

Odds and Ends

The two first-team linebackers in the nickel look were Keon Wylie and Noah Chambers, while Kaleb Spencer was off to the side. Spencer, a senior, was named captain after he tallied a team-high 67 tackles and 9.0 tackles for loss.
Vanderbilt transfer Chris Tangelo was added to the roster; he's ineligible to play for 2026 but is set to be available for 2027. Franklin said that this year gives the team a chance to evaluate Tangelo and what position he can play. Franklin mentioned corner, though he brought up that Tangelo has an "unusual corner body" because he is 6-foot-4. He also brought up safety and field backer as potential positions, but said "we're just happy to have him in the program, and we'll figure all those things out later."

Virginia Tech's 2026 showdown with Old Dominion is set for Saturday, Sept. 12, at 12 p.m. ET; the contest will be aired live on The CW.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/virginiatech as Notes and Quotes From James Franklin's Sept. 9th Post-Practice Media Availability .

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