Virginia Tech’s early-season surge got a big boost Saturday from four familiar faces with Penn State roots.
The Hokies, now 2-0 under former Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin, rolled past Old Dominion 44-21 in Blacksburg, Virginia, and a quartet of former Penn State players was right in the middle of it. Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, tight end Luke Reynolds and edge rushers Mylachi Williams and Cortez Harris all turned in standout performances.
Grunkemeyer, who started Penn State’s final seven games in 2025 before transferring after the season, delivered the biggest passing day of his career. He threw for 327 yards and two touchdowns, then added a rushing score for good measure.
Reynolds was just as dangerous. He set career highs across the board, finishing with eight catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns.
The pass rush duo made life miserable for Old Dominion, too. Williams posted 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and two forced fumbles, while Harris added two tackles for loss, two sacks and a quarterback hurry.
Afterward, Franklin pointed to the way Reynolds and slot receiver Que’Sean Brown can stress a defense when they’re both on the field.
“I think the combination of ‘Grunk’, ‘Q’ (Brown) and Luke is problematic,” said Franklin, whose team visits 2-0 Maryland on Saturday night.
“When you got a tight end on one side and a slot receiver on the other, that’s difficult for a defense (to) stop it.
“If you’ve got one guy, there’s ways schematically to take that guy out. But when you got a guy on either side of the formation, that’s challenging.”
In Other News...
Penn States Newcomers Are Already Becoming The Heart Of This Team
Penn States newest faces were impossible to miss in the win over Temple, and that is exactly the point of this roster overhaul. The 2026 group includes 40 transfer players, and several of them were already shaping the game in a 27-9 victory that looked a lot more like a team with established answers than one still sorting through fresh parts. Rocco Becht settled in at quarterback and Ben Brahmer made an immediate imprint at tight end, while other transfers popped up all over the field on both sides of the ball.
Becht completed 21 of 27 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns, the kind of efficient debut that can change the tone of an entire offense. Brahmer added five catches for 78 yards and two scores, and the supporting cast of newcomers helped Penn State look deeper and more settled than a team still learning itself. The bigger question now is not whether the transfers can help, but how quickly this group can become the backbone of a season with higher ambitions still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States 2-0 Start Comes With One Big Defensive Concern
Penn States 2-0 start has the Nittany Lions moving up to No. 14 in the AP Top 25, and there was plenty else around the program to like over the weekend. The football team handled Temple in Week 2, the womens volleyball team swept Stanford, and several Penn State defenders earned Big Ten honors from Pro Football Focus, giving the athletic department a strong early-season snapshot across multiple sports.
The one concern hanging over the football side is a significant one. Head coach Matt Campbell said defensive end Max Granville suffered a season-ending injury, a blow that immediately changes the outlook for a defense that had just started to build momentum. Even with the ranking bump and the rest of the program stacking wins, Penn State now has to figure out how to absorb a major loss up front and keep the early surge on track. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Is Climbing But The New Poll Says Plenty Too
Penn States latest step up in the US LBM Coaches Poll came with the kind of routine win that usually does not make much noise beyond the locker room, but it still mattered enough to bump the Nittany Lions to No. 15. The move followed their victory over Temple, and it keeps James Franklins team in the mix as the early season starts to sort out which rankings are built on momentum and which ones are going to hold.
The top of the poll shifted in a bigger way, with Texas taking over No. 1 after its comeback win against Ohio State, which slid to No. 6. Elsewhere in the rankings, there were plenty of other changes to track, but Penn States focus now turns to Buffalo, another checkpoint before the schedule gets heavier and the Nittany Lions learn whether this rise is just a nice September note or the start of something more durable. [Read more 🡒]