Virginia Tech’s season opener on Sept. 5 is supposed to be the easy part. VMI comes to Blacksburg as an FCS team that Tech has not faced since 1984, and the Keydets have finished 1-11 in each of the last two seasons in the Southern Conference. The Hokies are heavy favorites, but the real value of this game has little to do with the final score.
For Virginia Tech’s defense, this is the first chance to show what kind of unit it wants to be before the schedule gets serious. That test arrives almost immediately.
Old Dominion visits Lane Stadium on Sept. 12, and the Monarchs are the same team that beat Tech 45-26 there last September in a result that got Brent Pry fired. Pry is now the defensive coordinator, which makes the VMI game a tune-up for the matchup that could actually hurt.
The most basic goal is also the most important one: win at the line of scrimmage. That starts with getting off the field on third down, something the Hokies struggled with badly a year ago.
In 2025, Tech allowed opponents to convert 46.32 percent of their third downs and surrendered 30.2 points per game. Against an FCS opponent, those numbers should disappear.
If VMI is still picking up third-and-6, the defense has a problem no scoreboard can cover up.
The pass rush is where the conversation gets more specific, and Kemari Copeland is the key name. The senior defensive tackle returned after a third-team All-ACC season that included 48 tackles, 7.5 for loss, 4.5 sacks and an interception. He is the disruptive force in the middle of the defense, and Virginia Tech needs him to set the tone from the opening snap.
A clean opener would mean Copeland and Missouri transfer edge Javion Hilson spending plenty of time in the backfield, pressure coming with four rushers, and the box score filling up with tackles for loss on VMI’s side. That was the entire point of the retool. Week 1 is where it has to start showing up.
The details beyond the splash plays matter too. Virginia Tech cannot afford explosive passes, busted coverages or the kind of chunk runs that made 2025 such a grind. A takeaway or two would fit the script as well, especially for a team that rarely got that kind of help a season ago.
There is also the matter of chemistry. Much of this secondary was built through the transfer portal, and it has not spent much time on the field together. That kind of cohesion takes time, but VMI is the sort of opponent that should not be able to take advantage of those growing pains.
A shutout is not required, though it would certainly send a message. What Pry needs is a defense that looks like the one he has been talking up: dominant early downs, no freebies in coverage, and a unit that ends drives instead of extending them.
A blowout win that still leaks yards would not tell Virginia Tech much. But if the Hokies hold VMI to a small number of first downs, generate pressure through Copeland, and leave the opener looking sharp, then the defense heads into the Old Dominion rematch with something it has lacked. Proof, not hope.
In Other News...
Virginia Tech Has A Preseason Honor Fans Can't Fully Celebrate
Virginia Techs offseason recognition package came with a reminder that preseason honors only tell part of the story. Eleven Hokies landed on the American Bowl Top 1000 Preseason Watch List for NFL Draft-eligible seniors, a sign that the roster has plenty of players drawing early attention as the 2026 season approaches. It is the kind of list that can reflect both depth and upside, especially for a program trying to turn individual buzz into something more meaningful once games start to count.
Still, not every name on that list is in the same place heading into September. Garrett is dealing with a long-term injury suffered before the season, and the timeline remains unclear, which leaves some of that preseason optimism hanging in the balance. Virginia Tech opens its 2026 schedule against VMI on Sept. 5, and by then the Hokies will have a better sense of how much of that preseason acclaim can translate onto the field. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech's New Offense Faces One Early Test Fans Will Feel
Virginia Tech opens the 2025 season against VMI with plenty of curiosity wrapped around a new offensive setup under head coach James Franklin and coordinator Ty Howle. The Hokies are trying to move past a passing game that ranked 125th nationally a year ago, and the first game offers a clean first look at how much different the attack can look once the ball is snapped for real. Ethan Grunkemeyer is expected to be the quarterback in charge, while Marcellous Hawkins gives the Hokies a run game they can lean on as the transition begins.
Luke Reynolds is another name worth watching as this offense takes shape, because Howles system should give him a more prominent role than simply lining up as an extra blocker. Against VMI, Virginia Tech will not just be trying to win a season opener, it will be trying to show whether the new structure can create more balance and more answers through the air. The opener will not settle every question, but it should tell Hokies fans a lot about where this offense is headed. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Just Sent An Early Message With This Kentucky Result
Virginia Tech opened Friday night in Blacksburg with a result that should get the attention of anyone following the mens soccer program. The Hokies controlled the matchup against Kentucky and came away with a 3-0 victory, a clean start that gives the group an early platform as the season settles in.
Diego Dauzier was part of the reason the night stayed so comfortable, helping preserve the shutout with three saves. For Virginia Tech, a home win like this does more than add to the record. It suggests a team already finding its footing, even if the larger test of how far that edge can carry them is still ahead. [Read more 🡒]