Virginia Tech’s final open-to-the-media fall camp practice on Aug. 25 offered another look at where the Hokies stand as they keep moving toward the season opener against VMI on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m. ET on the ACC Network. The session didn’t settle every competition, but it did reinforce a few clear trends - especially at quarterback, running back and wide receiver.
At quarterback, Penn State transfer Ethan Grunkemeyer continued to get the first crack in drills. He was followed by UNC transfer Bryce Baker, redshirt freshman Kelden Ryan and true freshman Troy Huhn.
Franklin has said the battle is still open, but Grunkemeyer remains the most prominent name in the room from the outside looking in. He is also the only quarterback in the group with true game experience, having started seven games in 2025 for Penn State and thrown for 1,339 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions while winning his final four starts.
Franklin still wasn’t ready to label a starter after practice. When asked who had stood out across the roster, he pointed first to the quarterback room as a whole before singling out Ryan, the lone returnee from last season’s quarterback group.
"Kelden is a guy that has improved as much as probably anybody in our program. Really, that hole room, we feel really good about."
The backfield picture also looked fairly stable, though not without movement. Marcellous Hawkins opened as the top running back and Jeffrey Overton Jr. followed behind him, which lines up with where things have generally sat in camp.
The wrinkle now is the absence of Louisiana transfer Bill Davis, whose missed time has opened the door for a third-back fight between Messiah Mickens and Tyler Mason. Mason is a redshirt sophomore, while Mickens arrives as a highly regarded four-star recruit and a first-year college player.
Franklin said that battle is about more than just carries.
"Those two guys are battling for the third back, and part of that battle is who's going to have the most significant role on special teams," Franklin said. "So, that's been an interesting battle.
Mason's one of the most improved guys in our program from the time we got here; he's really improved since spring ball. It's really hard to evaluate a running back unless you're live; we've only done so much live work.
But we got two guys that at least we have some game reps on. ... I think we'll have a chance to have three, possibly four backs, that could go in a game and play well enough to allow us to win."
Wide receiver work brought its own set of early pecking-order clues. In the uncontested catch drills, Ayden Greene went first, followed by Que'Sean Brown and Marlion Jackson. Davion "FatRat" Brown, Tyseer Denmark and Keylen "Brodie" Adams came next, while redshirt freshman Luke Stuewe and redshirt junior Takye Heath were off to the side and did not take part in the drill, though both were in uniform.
That same group also helped shape the one-on-one work. Greene opened with a back-shoulder win over cornerback Jaquez White, while Franklin thought Jeff Exinor may have gotten away with a push-off against Joshua Clarke and said, "They should call that."
On another rep, Ja'Ricous Hairston and A.J. Brand dropped passes, true freshman Tyrell Grant Jr. was flagged in his matchup against walk-on wideout Drew Hube, and Brennan Johnson broke up a throw intended for Benji Gosnell.
Franklin also had a pointed compliment for Davion Brown, who worked in the early receiver rotation. He said Brown and freshman cornerback Zaevion Cleveland are "two of the fastest guys on our team," and added that Brown has added significant size since arriving.
"[Davion Brown's] also put on like 15 pounds since he got here. ... He's put on significant weight, and he's been confident.
He's caught the ball well; the speed shows up on the field. He just made a bunch of plays. ...
I've been impressed with him overall, and he's getting a ton of reps with us right now."
Brown’s place in the drill reflected that momentum. He was part of the first six receivers in the uncontested catch work, a group that also included Greene, Que'Sean Brown, Marlion Jackson, Tyseer Denmark and Keylen "Brodie" Adams.
The camp session didn’t create a new storyline so much as sharpen the ones already in place. Grunkemeyer led the quarterbacks.
Hawkins and Overton Jr. stayed at the front of the backfield. The receiver rotation continued to reveal who’s getting the early work.
And Franklin made it clear that, even with roster movement and a few open questions, the Hokies are still sorting through the final details before the opener arrives.
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