BLACKSBURG - Luke Reynolds didn’t exactly see it coming when James Franklin summoned him to his office last Thursday and told him he had been named to the Associated Press midseason All-America first team.
For Reynolds, the honor still hit like a statement on where his season is headed. It also lined up with the kind of steady rise he has been making since arriving in Blacksburg.
“It's definitely an honor. Obviously, at the end of the year, that's something I'm striving for. It's obviously great to have the recognition now, but it doesn't really change anything. … kind of just something to accyself for a little bit, but we were playing a game in two days or something like that, so it doesn't really mean a whole lot, doesn't hold a lot of weight because there's still a lot of games left in the season, but it's definitely cool.”
Reynolds has become one of Virginia Tech’s most reliable pieces in the passing game. Through the first six games, he leads all FBS tight ends with 277 receiving yards, and he is the only other tight end with more than 200 receiving yards. He has also added four touchdowns on 21 receptions.
At the position, Reynolds is already getting the kind of national attention that usually follows bigger names and bigger production. He was the second-team selection on Monday’s midseason All-America team and was previously added to the watch lists for the John Mackey Award and Biletnikoff Award.
The path to this point has been a long one, even if the rise itself hasn’t felt dramatic to those around him.
Franklin said on Sept. 20, “We've, obviously, was a highly regarded guy out of high school,” and the staff saw early that Reynolds had the traits to matter in the offense. But Franklin also made clear that the move from high school to college took time.
“When he first got here in spring ball, just kind of seeing him move around. I'm going to be honest: I we to have in the program,” he said.
“You talk about third down, that's where people step up, but on any down, any part of the field, he's a weapon for us. And he's not just a pass-catcher for us; he's a very physical run blocker and he'll get his nose dirty, so he's just an absolute baller and I love him.”
That growth has shown up in the numbers. Reynolds posted 26 catches and one touchdown over two seasons at Penn State, then already topped that in Blacksburg. He has also become the first tight end to record at least 100 receiving yards in consecutive games in program history.
His production has come in different ways, too. Reynolds recorded 35 receiving yards on four catches in a five-point loss at Cal, then had two catches for 16 yards the following week’s win over Georgia Tech.
He was limited to 36 yards on four catches against Cal and then had two catches for 16 yards against Georgia Tech. The numbers haven’t always been huge, but defenses clearly have to account for him.
Virginia Tech is trying to keep finding ways to slow him down in its own offense, and opponents are doing the same on the other side of the ball. Reynolds said that with new defensive coordinators, teams are changing the looks they throw at him.
“I think we play a lot of good defensive coordinators that try to limit everyone, but I think that's the beauty of playing in this offense for Coach Howle with all of the players around me,” Reynolds said. “They try to take one of us out of the game, then another one is able to step up.
It doesn't really matter how I play, statistically, as long as we can help the team win. But I think defensive coordinators have been doing a good job adjusting to some of our stuff, and we’ve just got to go back to the drawing board and scheme up some other stuff for them.”
What stands out to Franklin is that Reynolds has never needed a magical leap to get here. He kept grinding, kept getting better and kept earning more responsibility.
“Obviously, he's talented and all those things, but he loves football. He eats, sleeps and breathes it.
He just were not surprised with the results. You never have a magic crystal ball because, like I said, nobody a lot, and then everybody else came around and liked him.
So it's been fun to watch his progress.”
Virginia Tech is set to face Clemson on Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN, with Reynolds’ season still very much unfolding. He may already have midseason All-America recognition, but by his own words, he knows the bigger goals are still ahead.
In Other News...
Virginia Tech Faces A Rare Opening To End Its Clemson Misery
Clemson comes into Saturday with a very unusual profile for a program that so often survives on offense. The Tigers have leaned on defense and kicking to stay 4-2, while a midseason shakeup sent Chad Morris back into the offensive coordinator role after Garrett Riley was dismissed. For Virginia Tech, it creates a chance to get in a matchup the Hokies have rarely been able to dictate, with bowl eligibility still the clear target in James Franklins first season.
The bigger question is whether Clemson can find even a modest spark on offense after six games that have tested the whole structure of the attack. Virginia Tech has spent enough time chasing the Tigers to know how quickly a tight game can flip on one possession, but this version of Clemson has been living on field position and mistakes by opponents rather than explosive plays. If the Hokies are going to take advantage of this opening, they may need to do it while Clemson is still figuring out what its offense is supposed to be. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Should Watch One Maryland Roster Battle Very Closely
Marylands coaching shake-up has created the kind of uncertainty rivals watch closely, especially in recruiting territory that overlaps with Virginia Tech. After a 2-5 start to the 2026 season and back-to-back 4-8 finishes, the Terrapins moved on from Mike Locksley and turned to longtime assistant Aazaar Abdul-Rahim to guide the program the rest of the way, a change that inevitably puts roster retention under the microscope.
Among the names to monitor are Zion Elee, Zahir Mathis, Malik Washington and Sidney Stewart, four players who could draw portal attention now that the staff hierarchy has changed. For the Hokies, Stewart is the one to keep an especially close eye on, since there was already prior interest there before Marylands latest upheaval, and any movement from him would immediately ripple into Virginia Techs recruiting plans. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Gets A Clemson Test With ACC Stakes Suddenly Rising
Clemsons next stretch in the ACC opens with Virginia Tech, and it comes at a time when the league standings are starting to matter more by the week. The Tigers have five upcoming games against conference opponents currently ranked below them, beginning with a Hokies team that has made its passing game a real point of strength under quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer.
For Virginia Tech, that means the challenge is not just keeping pace with a familiar power, but testing itself against a roster that could soon have another key piece back. Dabo Swinney has indicated Christopher Vizzina is close to returning from an elbow injury, adding another layer to Clemsons quarterback situation as the Hokies prepare to see how their offense stacks up in a game with real ACC implications. [Read more 🡒]