Virginia Tech heads into James Franklin’s first season with a reshaped roster, 27 incoming transfers and a new coaching staff filtering through the program. That kind of turnover always creates opportunity, but it also puts a handful of holdovers squarely in the spotlight before fall camp even gets rolling.
At quarterback, Grunkemeyer still looks like the safest bet to open the year under center. The redshirt sophomore has already shown he can handle the job, and his numbers improved as he settled into the details of an Andy Kotelnicki offense.
He finished last season with 1,339 yards, eight touchdowns, four interceptions and a 69.1% completion rate. Still, there is pressure behind him.
If Grunkemeyer slips in camp, UNC transfer Bryce Baker is there, and Baker already has a built-in connection with quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien, since both played at East Forsyth High School.
Tight end is another spot where the roster shakeup changes the temperature. Franklin’s first class brought in Luke Reynolds, one of the nation’s top tight ends coming out of high school, and he closed his time at Penn State with 35 catches for 368 yards and one touchdown.
That arrival puts real pressure on Gosnell, who is entering his final season in Blacksburg. Gosnell has posted 56 receptions for 564 yards and three touchdowns, averaging a little more than 10 yards per catch.
The issue has been his blocking, and if that doesn’t improve quickly, he may still play a role - just possibly as the No. 2 tight end behind Reynolds.
Greene is in a different kind of race. He has become a favorite among Virginia Tech fans, the sort of player people keep waiting to see take over a game on a bigger stage.
Through his first three seasons, he has 55 receptions for 840 yards and five touchdowns. With the Hokies bringing in four transfer wideouts, Greene needs to keep stacking the kind of highlight catches that make it impossible to keep him off the field.
Copeland’s situation is all about the next step. The former Army and Iowa Western defensive tackle has already built a reputation around his strength, and after a huge redshirt junior season, the conversation is now about whether his draft stock keeps climbing.
He earned All-ACC Third Team recognition after putting up 47 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. This season could either push him into a much bigger NFL conversation or leave him where he is.
And then there’s McKenzie, who is stepping into the one coaching job that didn’t exactly scream for a rebuild. That’s a strange place for a new hire to land, but Virginia Tech’s running backs room has been a strength.
Under Elijah Brooks, Bhayshul Tuten helped fuel one of the nation’s best rushing attacks, and even after Tuten left for the NFL, the Hokies still finished No. 30 in rushing yards with 185 yards. McKenzie inherits Jeffery Overton Jr. and Marcellous Hawkins, while also adding Bill Davis and Messiah Mickens.
With first-year offensive coordinator Ty Howle in place, getting that group organized and ready will be a key part of his job.
In Other News...
Brian White Just Made A Hokie Club Hire Fans Should Watch
Virginia Techs latest move under Brian White keeps pointing back to one of the biggest jobs in the athletic department: raising money. The school announced Brad Bell as the new head of the Hokie Club, bringing in an administrator who spent years at the Georgia Bulldog Club and also has a background in banking and business education. For a program trying to sharpen its off-field operation, it is a hire that fits the moment as much as the mission.
Bell arrives as Whites second addition since taking over as athletic director, following Ryan Gottliebs move from Florida Atlantic. The timing matters, too, with Hokie Ventures and a record $75 million donation helping raise the stakes around fundraising and donor engagement. Bells experience in major gifts should make him a name Hokies fans keep an eye on as this new stretch of leadership takes shape. [Read more 🡒]
ACC Kickoff Could Finally Reveal Virginia Techs Biggest Early Camp Clues
The 2026 ACC Kickoff should offer Virginia Tech its first real public checkpoint of the offseason, with head coach James Franklin set to go alongside Kemari Copeland, Tyson Flowers and Marcellous Hawkins. For a program still sorting through spring and summer questions, media day is the kind of setting where even routine answers can matter, especially when the Hokies are trying to build a clearer picture of where they stand before camp fully turns toward the season.
A lot of the attention will center on the spots that remain unsettled, from the defensive front to the secondary, where summer workouts have been a chance for younger players to push into the conversation behind Flowers. There is also the broader backdrop of how new athletic director Whit Babcock and the programs evolving support structure are shaping football decisions, which makes this more than just a standard preseason appearance. [Read more 🡒]