Virginia Tech football: Previewing the 2026 spring game

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It’s finally here. On Saturday afternoon in Blacksburg, the Virginia Tech Hokies will hold their annual spring game. While there is always excitement for the spring game, even though it means nothing in the grand scheme of things, it’s different this year. Really different.

It’s the first spring game for new head coach James Franklin. And he has high expectations. He wants the Hokies to fill up Lane Stadium. That means over 60,000 fans packed in Lane on a perfect spring afternoon. Will it be done? There hasn’t been this type of excitement surrounding Virginia Tech football in years.

Now, for the game. Here are a few things to know:

Time

Virginia Tech’s spring game begins at 3:00 p.m. ET. Admission is free for the public.

Format

It will be the Maroon Team taking on the White Team. The scoring will be traditional, meaning six points for a touchdown, one point for a PAT, and three for a field goal. Each team will have two timeouts, which will be 30-second timeouts.

All four quarters will be 12 minutes in length, with the first quarter featuring a normal clock situation. Over the final three quarters, there will be a running clock. The final two minutes of the second and fourth quarters will feature a traditional clock.

The entire game will be “live” except for the quarterbacks.

Competitions

The Hokies announced the following competitions:

• Pregame kickoff competition
• 2nd/3rd quarter break punt competition
• End of game field goal competition

That end-of-game field goal competition could be fun because of the Love brothers. All-ACC kicker John Love welcomes his younger brother, Will, to Blacksburg for his first spring game.

Pre-game activities

• 3.2 for 32: Run in Rememberance to honor the lives of the 32 students and faculty members who were tragically taken in April 2007.
• Hokie Village: Will open at 11:30 a.m. and remain open through 2:15 p.m. There will be several actitivies, including kid-friendly ones. A Virginia Tech student band will also perform live.
• Hokie Walk: You can join the Hokies at 12:30 p.m. at Beamer Way as they enter Lane Stadium.
• Pregame show via Hokie Sports: “Get to your seats in Lane Stadium at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 18 as Team FastTrax Skydivers soar through the sky and land on Worsham Field. The aerial artists will be jumping as a pregame show – which features performances from the Virginia Tech Spirit Squads and various band ensembles – takes place before kickoff.”

Rosters

5 players to watch

• QB Ethan Grunkemeyer: There is a lot of excitement surrounding the Penn State transfer. While Franklin said it;‘s a competition, the job belongs to Grunkemeyer. The Hokies finally have a quarterback who has proven he can operate a college passing offense. Fans are excited, and it’s their first chance to see him in a Virginia Tech uniform.
• QB Troy Huhn: Why two quarterbacks? A freshman from California, Huhn has had an excellent spring. While he’s looked like a true freshman at times, Franklin specifically pointed out his performance in an intra-squad scrimmage a few weeks ago, calling it “unbelievable.” Whether he intended to or not, that created some hype around Huhn.
• RB Jeffrey Overton Jr: The redshirt freshman running back will have a significant role in 2026. He showed flashes in his brief playing time last season and was a priority to retain. Overton is expected to take a big leap this fall.
• CB Amauri Polydor: Another true freshman, many believed that Polydor was ticketed for a redshirt season in 2026. He had other plans. The Baltimore native has had an outstanding spring, and a strong performance in the game could give him a great shot at the two-deep in 2026.
• WR Keylen “Brodie” Adams: Entering his third year in Blacksburg, injuries have limited Adams so far in his career. Now could be his time to shine. The Hokies have an opening behind Ayden Greene and Que’Sean Brown. While others have also flashed this spring, Adams has a chance to get an early start at earning significant playing time this fall. Fans want to see Adams succeed, and Saturday is a big day for him.

Saturday is also a huge recruiting day for the Hokies. Franklin has picked up some big commitments recently and will have some big 2027 names in town for the spring game.

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