Virginia Tech’s 2026 non-conference schedule starts with a pair of home games, then shifts to a road trip to Maryland, and the common thread running through all three opponents is the quarterback spot.
That matters here because each team is coming at Virginia Tech from a different angle. VMI and Old Dominion are trying to sort out new faces under center, while Maryland brings back a quarterback who already looks like one of the better young passers in the league.
VMI is in the middle of another reset after back-to-back 1-11 seasons and a coaching change. Ashley Ingram takes over a program searching for some stability, but the biggest question is at quarterback.
Collin Shannon is gone after transferring to Murray State following a 2025 season in which he threw for 1,982 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. That leaves Chandler Wilson and Nana Utsey competing for the job in fall camp.
Wilson went 28-for-54 for 197 yards last season, while Utsey totaled 254 passing yards in limited action. Neither has meaningful starting experience, and that makes the Keydets a team Virginia Tech should catch at the right time in the opener.
The Keydets do still have some skill talent, with Noah Grevious and Owen Sweeney at wide receiver, but replacing Shannon’s production is a major ask. With the recent struggles and the uncertainty at quarterback, this shapes up as a favorable season opener for James Franklin’s first Virginia Tech team.
Old Dominion brings a different kind of challenge, and a much different kind of turnover. The Monarchs are trying to move on after losing Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year Colton Joseph, whose 2,624 passing yards, 21 touchdown passes, 1,007 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns made him one of the most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks in the country. He transferred to Wisconsin, leaving a huge hole behind.
Sophomore Quinn Henicle looks like the front-runner to replace him after throwing only 40 passes in 2025. Henicle adds mobility, but he’s still largely untested as a passer.
And he’s not walking into a stable situation, either. Old Dominion also lost its leading rusher and nearly its entire receiving group through graduation and the transfer portal.
Outside of running back Devin Roche, the Monarchs return very little offensive production. That makes them one of the most difficult teams on Virginia Tech’s schedule to project.
Maryland is the outlier. The Terrapins enter 2026 with continuity at quarterback, and that alone gives them a different feel than Virginia Tech’s first two opponents.
Sophomore Malik Washington is back after a strong freshman year in which he threw for 2,963 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions and set Maryland’s freshman passing record. The Terrapins went 4-8, but Washington showed real upside, including a 459-yard, three-touchdown outing against Michigan State.
He also gives Maryland an experience edge over Virginia Tech’s expected starter, Ethan Grunkemeyer. Hughes noted that Maryland is the only team among Virginia Tech’s first four opponents bringing back its starting quarterback, which gives the Terrapins more continuity than VMI or Old Dominion.
Maryland also added former Old Dominion receiver Na'eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding through the transfer portal, giving Washington another proven target. If Washington makes the expected Year 2 jump, the Week 3 game in College Park could be Virginia Tech’s first real benchmark under James Franklin.
So while VMI and Old Dominion are both trying to figure out who they are at quarterback, Maryland already knows. That’s what makes the Terrapins the headline act on Virginia Tech’s non-conference schedule and the toughest test before ACC play begins. Virginia Tech has not won a non-conference Power Four game since 2017 against West Virginia.