Did Virginia Tech Answer All Of Its Questions On Offense During Fall Camp?

Virginia Tech answered several offensive questions during fall camp, but uncertainty remains at wide receiver and along the offensive line.

Virginia Tech Athletics

Virginia Tech entered fall camp with plenty to figure out offensively, and nearly a month later, some of those questions have answers while others might have to wait until the Hokies actually take the field.

With Virginia Tech's season opener against VMI rapidly approaching, the broad picture surrounding James Franklin's first offense in Blacksburg is considerably clearer than it was at the beginning of August. Ethan Grunkemeyer appears poised to start at quarterback, Marcellous Hawkins and Jeffrey Overton Jr. have separated themselves at running back, and Ayden Greene and Que'Sean Brown give the Hokies two established options at wide receiver.

The uncertainty starts after that, and perhaps the biggest remaining question is who joins Greene and Brown as Virginia Tech's third wide receiver.

Marlion Jackson may have given himself the best opportunity. During Virginia Tech's final media-open practice Aug. 25, Greene, Brown and Jackson were the first three receivers through uncontested catch drills, while true freshman Davion "FatRat" Brown followed immediately behind them.

That's about as much clarity as we've received, though. Jackson being third in that rotation certainly suggests he has the advantage entering Week 1, but I wouldn't call the competition completely settled.

FatRat Brown has been one of the more interesting developments of camp, with Franklin praising the redshirt freshman's added weight, speed and consistency while noting that he's receiving plenty of reps. Even if Jackson begins the season ahead of him, Brown has seemingly done enough to put himself in position for a spot in the two-deep.

The good news is that Virginia Tech probably doesn't need one definitive WR3. Jackson can begin the season in that role while Brown and others rotate behind him, and the Hokies' ability to use multiple tight ends should prevent the third receiver from becoming an every-down position anyway.

The offensive line is a different story, and that's the question I'm considerably less confident Virginia Tech answered during camp.

The interior has looked relatively stable, with Kyle Altuner at center and Layth Ghannam and Brody Meadows working at guard. Offensive tackle, however, entered August as one of the roster's most open competitions.

Justin Terry and Montavious Cunningham began camp working with the first group at left and right tackle, respectively, while Oklahoma transfer Logan Howland worked behind Terry after missing the spring. Howland was expected to provide one of the strongest challenges for the starting left tackle spot once fully healthy, though he doesn't seem to be 100% yet.

Competition isn't inherently a bad thing, but Virginia Tech's offensive line doesn't just need five starters. It needs five players it can trust.

The Hokies struggled far too often in pass protection last season, and while the personnel and coaching staff look considerably different now, tackle remains one of those positions where uncertainty can become obvious very quickly once games begin. Virginia Tech may know internally who its starting five will be against VMI, but whether that combination is actually good enough is a question fall camp was never going to completely answer.

Then there's quarterback, which technically remains a competition but doesn't really feel like one anymore.

Franklin has consistently declined to publicly name a starting quarterback and reiterated throughout camp that he wants competition for each position to continue until close to game week. Grunkemeyer, however, has routinely led off quarterback drills and has already been named one of Virginia Tech's team captains.

Everything we've seen points toward Grunkemeyer, so the question isn't really whether he'll start against VMI. It's what Virginia Tech gets from him once he does.

Grunkemeyer has more meaningful collegiate experience than anyone else in the room and already knows Franklin's system from Penn State, making him the obvious choice to lead an offense that otherwise features plenty of new pieces. Bryce Baker, Kelden Ryan and Troy Huhn may still technically be competing, but this feels much more like Franklin maintaining competition than a genuinely undecided quarterback battle.

So, did Virginia Tech answer all of its offensive questions during fall camp? Not quite, although it answered enough of them to provide a much clearer picture entering Week 1.

The Hokies appear to know who their quarterback is, even if they haven't officially said it. Jackson has seemingly moved to the front of the WR3 competition, although Brown has done enough to make that room considerably more interesting than it appeared several weeks ago.

The offensive line remains the biggest unknown, and that's probably the one Virginia Tech can least afford to get wrong. For most of Virginia Tech's offense, August provided enough answers; for the offensive line, VMI might provide the first real one.