Greg McElroy Suggests Virginia Tech Could Be A College Football Playoff Sleeper In 2026
In this story:
Virginia Tech made one of the splashiest hires of the offseason when they landed former Penn State head coach James Franklin to be the new leader of the program. Franklin build one of the most consistent programs in Happy Valley and is looking to resurrect the Hokies into an ACC contender and a player on the national level as well.
So far so good. Franklin seemed to make good hires on his staff, he took a high school class that was ranked outside of the top 100 before he arrived and turned it into a top 25 class, and finished with one of the best transfer portal classes in the ACC. There is still work to be done in Blacksburg, but it looks like Franklin has laid a good foundation to have a strong first season at Virginia Tech.
Playoff sleepers?
Don't be surprised if you hear some playoff buzz around Virginia Tech. They did not respond well when that happened two offseasons ago, but expect there to be some Virginia Tech mentions when it comes to playoff dark horses and perhaps the first major voice to put this out here is ESPN's Greg McElroy:
“The James Franklin era. Brent Pry‘s defense. A quarterback transfer. A complete identity reboot. Virginia Tech is kind of the coaching storyline sleeper this year,” McElroy said on the ‘Always College Football‘ podcast. “The head coach is James Franklin and the defensive coordinator is the guy he replaced in Brent Pry, who’s back at DC. That sounds a bit like a soap opera, but it’s real.
“What does that mean on the field? It means the Tech is trying to become what Franklin has built. When it works, you’ve got a pretty athletic offense and a physical defense. You’ve got roster management that can fit and adhere to some of the modern parts of college football. With Brent Pry calling the defense, the Hokies should have clarity and structure in pressure packages and identity. At quarterback, you get a transfer from Penn State who James Franklin is very comfortable with in Ethan Grunkemeyer. That transfer addition could stabilize that position. There are legitimate weapons, including a tight end transfer Luke Reynolds, who might become a center piece target.”
“If Franklin stabilizes the offense and Pry can make Tech’s defense really disruptive, they can move fast in an ACC that feels like it’s constantly shuffling. Virginia Tech doesn’t necessarily need to be the best team. They just need to be the team that can be consistent by the time it rolls around to November. Then they can start stacking wins.”
I think expecting the playoffs in year one might be unrealistic, but never say never. Franklin should be a huge upgrade when it comes to coaching and the young talent they pulled in, along with some of the veteran additions on the roster, should make them a bowl team at the worst. Road games against SMU, Miami, Cal, and Clemson will be telling for the ceiling of this team in year one under Franklin.
More Virginia Tech Football News:
Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell
Follow jacksoncaudell