Virginia Tech’s fall camp has already started to sort out a few important battles, and a handful of players have made real noise as the Hokies settle into a new era under head coach James Franklin.
With the opener against VMI less than two weeks away, camp has become the proving ground for anyone trying to move from the edges of the depth chart into the starting picture. Some players arrived with experience but needed to hold off challengers.
Others came in looking for a breakthrough. A few have done enough early to make their cases much stronger.
At wide receiver, Jackson has helped himself more than anyone else. He was always a logical name to watch for the third receiver job behind Ayden Greene, who had 516 yards and three touchdowns at Virginia Tech in 2025, and Que'Sean Brown, who put up 846 yards and five touchdowns at Duke in 2025. But camp has only strengthened Jackson’s standing.
The redshirt senior brings 753 receiving yards from his three seasons at Louisiana Tech, and that kind of experience matters in a room that still has plenty of competition. Greene and Brown look like the clearest bets for starting roles, which leaves the next spot up for grabs. Jackson has stayed near the top of that mix and looks like a serious candidate for meaningful snaps.
Denmark is another receiver who has kept building momentum. He caught four passes for 39 yards in Virginia Tech’s spring game on April 18, and that was just the start. The Penn State transfer has carried that into fall camp, where he has shown what he can do as a slot receiver.
His numbers at Penn State were modest - 45 receiving yards over two seasons - but he came to Blacksburg with real recruiting stock after coming out of Imhotep Charter in Philadelphia. In a crowded receiver room, his athleticism and familiarity with Franklin’s system give him a chance to separate himself.
That wideout group is loaded with names fighting for attention: Greene, Brown, Jackson, Denmark, Stuewe, Takye Heath, Keylen "Brodie" Adams and Chanz Wiggins. And Stuewe, a redshirt freshman, has turned heads too. He didn’t play a snap in 2025, so he arrived at camp without any college production, but he’s looked ready to force the issue.
On the first media-viewed practice, Stuewe made several plays, including a dig route where he beat Joshua Clarke. That kind of showing has pushed him from someone not expected to be a major factor into a player who appears likely to work his way into the two-deep.
Up front, Terry has also boosted his stock. He was already projected to be part of the two-deep, but camp has only reinforced that. During Virginia Tech’s first media-open fall practice, he was working with the ones at left tackle, a significant development in a competition that also includes Oklahoma transfer Logan Howland.
Terry, the Ohio State transfer, has a rare build at 6-foot-5 and 331 pounds, and he adds size, speed and physicality to the mix. He appeared in six games last season and logged 129 total snaps, with 57 coming on offense.
Howland brings more starting experience - he started six games at Oklahoma at left tackle in 2024, including each of the final five games - but Terry has gotten the early first-team work. If that continues, he has a legitimate shot to be the player protecting Ethan Grunkemeyer’s blind side when the Hokies open against VMI.
Virginia Tech opens the 2026 season on Saturday, Sept. 5, against VMI at Lane Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, and the game will be shown on the ACC Network.
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Virginia Tech's Climb Back May Depend On These Under-The-Radar Camp Battles
Virginia Techs preseason buzz has centered on the bigger names, but the more interesting story in Blacksburg may be the players trying to force their way into the conversation. Ethan Grunkemeyer is getting attention at quarterback and Luke Reynolds has landed on the Mackey Award watch list, yet the Hokies climb back in 2026 could hinge just as much on a few under-the-radar camp battles and the roster spots won by players who have not produced much at the college level yet.
Among the names worth watching are redshirt sophomore wide receiver Wiggins, cornerback Clarke and true freshman wide receiver QueSean Brown, all of whom could carve out real roles if camp goes their way. Luke Stuewe is another to keep in mind as a possible mover up the depth chart, and for Virginia Tech, the value of that kind of emergence is obvious: when a team is trying to rebuild momentum, the difference often comes from the players who make themselves impossible to ignore in August. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Still Has One Crucial Receiver Battle To Settle
Virginia Techs fall camp has already clarified part of the receiver picture, with Ayden Greene and QueSean Brown emerging as the established top options. Beyond that, though, the Hokies still have some sorting to do, and the wideout competition has become one of the more closely watched parts of camp as the offense gets ready for a season led by new quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer.
The next layer is where things get interesting, because Marlion Jackson, Chanz Wiggins, Takye Heath and Davion Brown are all in the mix for additional starting roles. No one has locked down the third receiver spot yet, which leaves the staff with a meaningful decision still ahead as it continues to evaluate who fits best alongside the top two. [Read more 🡒]
James Franklin Has Virginia Tech Fans Waiting On One Big Answer
James Franklins first fall camp at Virginia Tech has been built around one simple message: nothing is being handed out. With a roster packed with transfers and plenty of talent, the Hokies new head coach has kept the focus squarely on competition, refusing to lock in starters as he works to set a standard for how this team will operate when the season begins. Even the quarterback job remains open, a sign that Franklin wants every spot earned before the opener arrives.
It is a deliberate stance for a program trying to establish a new identity quickly, and Franklin has made clear he wants the Hokies to function as a process-driven, complementary team across every phase. That kind of approach can create urgency, but it also leaves one of the biggest questions in camp hanging over everything else, with players still fighting to prove they belong in the first wave when Virginia Tech takes the field for real. [Read more 🡒]