Five Bold Predictions For Virginia Tech During Fall Camp

Blacksburg, Va. — After taking a look at some intruiging position battles earlier in the afternoon, there's plenty more information that will come out in Virginia Tech Football's fall camp, which will likely get started within the next 10-14 days. There's a lot up in the air with this roster, so let's dive into a few of my personal bold predictions/hot takes for fall camp.

No. 1: Troy Huhn takes QB3:

Incoming freshman Troy Huhn was one of the more pleasant surprises throughout spring practices, showing a lot of ability with hitting pass catchers all over the field while limiting mistakes. Keldan Ryan is headed into his redshirt sophomore season and has yet to see the field, and Bryce Baker is a redshirt freshman in the same situation; the Hokies are very inexperienced at quarterback behind Ethan Grunkemeyer.

In any situation where the third-string quarterback is playing, a team is more often than not going to be in a lot of trouble — with the exception of 2014 Ohio State — so I don't expect this to necessarily play a big role in this upcoming season. Where it could play a big role is in the future.

Ethan Grunkemeyer is the clear favorite for the starting quarterback position, but behind him it could effectively be considered a three-way tossup for QB2-QB4. I don't think that Huhn wins the QB2 spot due to his youth and having even less experience than Baker and Ryan, but I do think that he surpasses one of them on the depth chart and poises himself to be the next quarterback to take the reigns down the line.

No. 2: Emmett Laws takes the second IDL position on the depth chart:

Right now, Kemari Copeland is going to be the top defensive tackle, and I don't see a world where that changes. Elhadj Fall was impressive at many points for the Hokies in 2025, but I think that this is the year that Emmett Laws takes a large leap forward and turns into the highly talented defensive line prospect that he projected as out of high school.

Laws is a shorter, stockier lineman compared to both Fall and Copeland, he's a guy that can make you pay in the run if you don't double team him, or he can be a guy who will free up other talented defensive linemen, like Copeland, if opponents do opt to double team the bigger body. The Hokies have talented pass rushing on the edge and interior, but with a lack of run stuffers, Laws stands out above the rest.

No. 3: Gabe Williams makes a strong return:

Gabe Williams is, technically, going into his double redshirt freshman season after playing in just two games as a freshman before suffering a major injury and missing all but four games as a sophomore while dealing with lingering effects from a torn achillies.

Williams was a highly touted four-star prospect from Bowie, Maryland who showed strong signs in his limited playing time so far. The Hokies have a strong linebacker core with Kaleb Spencer, Noah Chambers, Keon Wylie and Curtis Jones Jr., but I think that Williams spots himself firmly in the mix as the fifth linebacker while also giving himself a ton of room to move up the depth chart.

No. 4: Joshua Clarke finds a key role:

Joshua Clarke was expected to be one of the Hokies' top cornerbacks last season before he suffered a season ending injury in fall camp. Since returning, the staff has had strong praises for him once again. He had a strong game as a true freshman in the Duke's Mayo Bowl against Minnesota, which is what initially put the eyes of fans and media on him.

With a strong cornerback room, including Isaiah Brown-Murray, Jaquez White and Cam Chadwick, finding a starting role could be a challenge for the underclassman, but I think he finds himself in a very key rotational spot, if not a starting spot, come Sept. 5.

No. 5: Takye Heath takes a step forward:

Takye Heath saw his first heavy playing time in 2025, starting in seven games and tallying 200 yards along with a trio of touchdowns, two of which came against Cal in Virginia Tech's double overtime victory.

Heath has had pressure on his shoulders for years with the Hokies, being expected to take a heavy amount a reps in the slot each year, but dealing with injuries up until 2025. With Que'Sean Brown taking over the No. 1 spot in the slot, Takye Heath will have pressure relieved from his shoulders, allowing him to take a smaller workload in a run-first offense compared to last season's pass-heavy attack under Offensive Coordinator Phillip Montgomery.

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