'The Days of 3-9 Feel Over': Virginia Tech Receiving Buzz Ahead of 2026 Season

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Virginia Tech football's 2025 season was substandard. That is made clear enough by its record – a 3-9 mark that was the Hokies' worst by winning percentage since the 1992 season, and a campaign that began with three straight losses, the first such occurrence since 1987.

Still, despite the tribulations that the 2025 season brought with it, it also inspired a plethora of change. Head coach James Franklin joined the program on Nov. 17, 2025, bringing with him over 50 new players via the high school ranks and the transfer portal, potentially creating a roster that could fight for the program's first ACC title game appearance since the 2016 season.

"It's been 10 years since Virginia Tech has played for an ACC championship and 16 years since it has won one – far too long for a program of the Hokies' caliber," Athlon Sports wrote in their preseason magazine. "By fortuitous timing, a recruiting-savvy, proven winner from the mid-Atlantic happened to be available on the coaching market last fall. It might take Franklin more than a year to make the Hokies a contender, but with his history and Tech's recent cash infusion to athletics, the days of going 3-9 feel over."

Athlon Sports also highlighted the influx of several key transfers, including quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer (No. 4 incoming transfer in ACC for Athlon), tight end Luke Reynolds (Athlon Sports Preseason All-ACC First Team; No. 7) and wide receiver Que'Sean Brown (No. 8).

The magazine also spotlighted the Hokies' returners, including Marcellous Hawkins (6.35 yards per carry last season) and defensive tackle Kemari Copeland (7.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks). The outlet ranked Virginia Tech No. 30 in its preseason rankings, which slotted in fifth in the ACC.

Last year, the Hokies sustained nine losses and dropped six of seven to end the year. Virginia Tech fired then-head coach Brent Pry after a 0-3 start, which included a 45-26 loss to Old Dominion the day before his firing – Virginia Tech trailed 28-0 at halftime and by as many as 31.

Pry is returning to the program this season, but in a defensive coordinator/linebackers coach role. Pry previously served as defensive coordinator under Franklin at Vanderbilt (2011-2013) and Penn State (2014-21) before taking the Virginia Tech head coaching job ahead of the 2022 season. He went 16-24 (10-13) in his three-plus years in the position, claiming a victory in the 2023 Military Bowl.

Virginia Tech's season opener is against VMI on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m. ET. The contest will be carried on the ACC Network, and it is the first matchup between the two teams since the 1984 season.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/virginiatech as 'The Days of 3-9 Feel Over': Virginia Tech Receiving Buzz Ahead of 2026 Season.

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