Virginia Tech’s first media-available fall practice should give a clearer picture of where a few key battles stand, even if the full answers won’t come right away. The Hokies have already opened camp, but today is the first chance for the media to watch select portions of practice before speaking with head coach James Franklin, cornerback Isaiah Brown-Murray and offensive lineman Kyle Altuner at approximately 6:40 p.m. ET.
The biggest spotlight, naturally, is on the quarterback room. The competition includes Ethan Grunkemeyer, a Penn State transfer and redshirt sophomore; Bryce Baker, a North Carolina transfer and redshirt freshman; Kelden Ryan, a returnee and redshirt freshman; and Troy Huhn, a true freshman. Of that group, Grunkemeyer is the one with real college game experience, and he brings the strongest resume by far.
Last season at Penn State, Grunkemeyer threw for 1,339 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions. He also finished strong, piling up six touchdowns and no interceptions over the final four games.
He has started seven games at the college level, more than anyone else in the room, which is why this still feels like his job to lose. The real question is when Franklin makes it official that Grunkemeyer will open Week 1 against VMI on Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m.
ET on ACC Network.
There’s also a lot to watch at tight end, where Virginia Tech looks poised to lean more heavily on the position than it has in recent seasons. Last year, the Hokies barely tapped into that part of the offense, with Ja'Ricous Hairston and Benji Gosnell combining for 112 and 86 yards, respectively. The spring game hinted at a bigger role ahead, as the tight ends accounted for 205 yards, 17 receptions and 47.9% of the team’s total receiving yards.
How far that usage goes will depend in part on what Virginia Tech has at wide receiver. Ayden Greene and Que'Sean Brown look like the two most established options in that room, but there are still a lot of unknowns behind them.
Greene finished with 516 yards and three touchdowns for Virginia Tech in 2025, while Brown posted 846 yards and five touchdowns for Duke in 2025. The ceiling of Luke Reynolds also matters here.
The Penn State import is a 6-foot-4 former five-star recruit who has 368 receiving yards and one touchdown across two seasons.
On defense, the safety picture looks more settled. Redshirt senior Tyson Flowers started all 12 games last season, and Quentin Reddish had started all three games he played in during the 2025 campaign before a shoulder injury ended his season. That pairing appears to be the clearest early answer in the secondary.
Cornerback is where things get more interesting. Virginia Tech added Troy transfer Jaquez White, who graded out as the No. 13 cornerback nationally on Pro Football Focus with an 87.4 mark. He also ranked No. 21 in both coverage and run defense, making him one of the Hokies’ most proven offseason pickups.
The real question is who lines up next to him. Isaiah Brown-Murray brings experience and looks like a strong candidate for the nickel spot, though he can also play outside if needed.
Joshua Clarke is another boundary name to track as the Hokies sort through the depth chart. Other cornerbacks in the mix include Cam Chadwick, a UConn transfer; Jojo Crim, a sophomore who had eight tackles in six games; Amauri Polydor, who tied for the team high with seven tackles in Virginia Tech’s spring game; Thomas Williams, who started 10 games in 2025; and Kenny Woseley Jr., a Penn State transfer.
That means the clearest thing to monitor in practice is not just who is working with the first unit, but how often Brown-Murray is moving around and where the Hokies are choosing to use him.
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