BLACKSBURG, Va. - George Ballance spent the middle of Virginia Tech’s coaching change wondering whether his next step would even be in Blacksburg.
That uncertainty came with the job, of course. The Hokies were moving from one staff to another between Sept. 14 and Nov. 17, when they officially hired former Penn State head coach James Franklin.
But Ballance’s situation carried an extra layer of pressure. He wasn’t just waiting on a new head coach.
He was a walk-on linebacker trying to hold his place in a college football landscape that has changed fast around players like him.
The NCAA’s new roster rules have cut teams down to 105 players while removing the old 85-scholarship limit, opening the door for programs to put every player on scholarship. For anyone living on the margins of a roster, that shift makes every spot feel more precious.
Ballance didn’t know whether he would still be one of Virginia Tech’s players. In the end, he never had to leave.
The redshirt senior remained in Blacksburg, is close to finishing his degree and eventually landed the scholarship he had been chasing throughout his college career.
“I’m not going to lie; it kind of was crazy,” Ballance said. “I kind of been working my whole college career for that. That’s kind of been the number one priority of mine.”
Getting there took some honest conversations. When Franklin arrived, Ballance had to weigh whether staying made sense with a new staff in place. He sat down with his parents and talked through the decision.
The answer came into focus pretty quickly. His father played at Virginia Tech.
Ballance grew up going to games in Blacksburg, long before he ever wore a Hokies uniform. The place already meant something to him.
“I always wanted to be here,” Ballance said. “And this is home to me.”
He also had another finish line in mind: graduation. Ballance had not yet completed his degree, and that remained the top priority. He is set to graduate this fall, so he stayed put.
Then came the news he had been hoping for. As Franklin started building his program, Ballance earned the scholarship.
“It was definitely huge and definitely a weight off my shoulders,” Ballance said. “And I just now feel like I can kind of go out and play and be myself.”
That part matters. For years, Ballance said the scholarship question sat in the background of everything he did.
At times, he felt like he had to be perfect in practice just to keep climbing. Now that pressure is gone, and he can focus on football without the extra noise.
He said Virginia Tech’s summer work under strength and conditioning coach Chuck Losey and his staff has left the Hokies “bigger, faster, stronger” heading into the heart of fall camp.
Ballance also believes the team has found something sharper than that. The program has always had a lunch-pail feel, he said, but this offseason has brought a stronger emphasis on toughness and accountability.
“We got a chip on our shoulder this year,” Ballance said.
Virginia Tech is coming off a 3-9 season and opening its first year under Franklin. For Ballance, though, the story is more personal than the team’s record. He gets to finish where he wanted to be all along.
He said he had never been around a coach quite like Franklin and praised him for giving everyone a chance to prove themselves.
“I didn’t think I could pass up the opportunity to be coached by Coach Franklin,” Ballance said.
Now he gets to see where that opportunity leads. He’ll graduate this fall, head into the 2026 season on scholarship and do it all in the same Virginia Tech uniform he dreamed about as a kid.
One small routine keeps the whole thing grounded. Every time Ballance walks through the tunnel at Lane Stadium, he taps his father’s name.
It’s a personal reminder of where he came from and why he stayed when the coaching change made everything feel unsettled.
“Just knowing what he’s been through here and all his stories and the brotherhood he’s made, it’s huge,” Ballance said. “I just try to, if I can be half the man my dad is, I’ll be-I think I succeed in life.”
For a player who spent years trying to earn his place, Ballance finally has some certainty. The scholarship is in hand, the degree is close, and Virginia Tech is still home.
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