BLACKSBURG - Virginia Tech is still sorting through its offensive line puzzle, and head coach James Franklin made it clear Wednesday that the Hokies are chasing the best five bodies, not necessarily the cleanest long-term fit at each spot.
“We've trying to get our best five on the field,” Franklin said. “It maynot be at their best positions long-term, but it may be our best five on the field short-term. We're just kind of working through those things, but not ideal.”
That search has already produced some shuffling. Virginia Tech used the same five linemen for all of Friday’s game against Pitt, according to Pro Football Focus: Logan Howland at left tackle, Layth Ghannam at left guard, Kyle Altuner at center, Michael Troutman III at right guard and Aidan Lynch at right tackle. Ghannam posted the group’s top PFF grade at 63.9.
The Hokies are also leaning on a defensive front that Franklin says is thriving because of depth, freshness and buy-in. He pointed to the combination of Brent Pry’s system and Sean Spencer’s coaching as a big reason the room has become so competitive.
“We're able to keep them fresh,” Franklin said. “We're able to keep them healthy, and we need to continue to do that.
But they're having fun, playing fast - and they're being disruptive. So, getting people off schedule on first and second down is really, really important. ...
They're playing with some confidence right now.”
The numbers back that up. Virginia Tech enters the week tied for fifth nationally in sacks with 18.0 and first in tackles for loss with 51.0. Franklin said the production has been built on unselfish work up front, not just the players who finish the play.
“We're also trying to emphasize, like a lot of times the fans and everybody get excited about the sack, but the sack was really credited to the D-tackle that penetrated, that didn't allow them to pass off the twist,” Franklin said. “Now, the defensive end comes scot-free, and the defensive end gets credit for the sack, which you should for finishing it.
But there's a lot of other pieces of the puzzle that allowed those guys [to make those plays]. And they're playing, in a lot of ways, unselfish football right now, which I think you have to be on the defensive line.”
Franklin also highlighted safety Smith, a fifth-year player who missed the opener because of the NCAA’s mandatory acclimation process. Smith played 61 snaps against Pitt and has logged 144 snaps overall, including 95 on defense. PFF says he has 3,515 snaps over the last four seasons before 2026, including 911 as a true freshman at South Carolina.
“He's played a ton of football,” Franklin said. “If you look, there's not too many players in the country that have played more reps than he has. .... You don't play as a true freshman without having some football savvy and some football IQ, and then just all that experience, take that and multiply that based on his athleticism and his body type, does a lot of really good things.”
Virginia Tech has used Smith behind Quentin Reddish and Tyson Flowers in terms of safety snaps. Reddish has 231 snaps with a 59.6 overall defensive grade from PFF, while Flowers has 222 snaps and a 65.4 grade. Sheldon Robinson and Brennan Johnson have 31 and 20 snaps, respectively, after that trio.
“So we got three safeties that we kind of view as as starters, and those guys will continue to play a bunch of reps,” Franklin said.
On the other side of the ball, California’s quarterback situation may not be fully settled yet. Starter Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele was pulled after the second half of Cal’s 39-31 loss to UNLV on Saturday, and backup Jackson Brousseau finished the game by going 19-of-32 for 200 yards and two touchdowns.
Sagapolutele has thrown for 1,180 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions this season, and his 47.2 quarterback rating ranks No. 96.
Franklin said Virginia Tech is preparing as though Sagapolutele will be under center.
“They could have played him again and chose not to, so we're ust preparing as if he is playing,” Franklin said. “I've also heard he's been practicing, so we're preparing like he's the starter.
I don't think the offense changes a whole lot. It's not like the backup quarterback is this big-time runner, and the offense changes when he goes in.”
Virginia Tech’s injury situation continues to shape the week. Defensive lineman Emmett Laws has been working with the second-team defensive line at times after missing this season because of a spring injury. Linebacker George Ballance was not seen at practice Wednesday after leaving the Pitt game with a lower-body injury, and Franklin said Ballance will be out for “multiple weeks”.
“He was a piece for us on defense; he was a significant piece on special teams, and then just from a captain, leadership, culture standpoint, big,” Franklin said. A lot of those things he can still do.”
Franklin said Ballance will not travel with the team to California.
The offensive line injuries are still forcing more movement. Left tackle Justin Terry is out for “several weeks,” according to a spokesperson, while guards Montavious Cunningham and Brody Meadows did not play Friday against Pitt.
On Wednesday, Ghannam worked at left tackle in one-on-one drills against the defensive line, while Howland shifted from left tackle to right tackle. Cunningham and Meadows were both at practice, though neither appeared fully healthy, and Meadows looked especially limited.
Virginia Tech will face California on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
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