'He's A True Tight End': James Franklin Praises Virginia Tech TE Luke Reynolds

Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin believes the Penn State transfer is a true tight end and a "big-time player."

Virginia Tech Athletics

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Tight end Luke Reynolds is the type of "true tight end" that Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin desires to use in his offenses.

"He’s going to stick his nose in there and knock you in, and he’s 252 pounds as well," Franklin said after fall practice on Aug. 6, the first day that fall camp was open to the media to watch and observe.

What the definition of a "true tight end" means to Franklin is a malleable option — one who can misdirect the defense and force potential mismatches.

"[His size] makes him even more difficult to defend because they’ve got to choose," Franklin said. "Are we going to play nickel and try to match up with him and then he’s going to put his nose in the C-gap and mash your ass? Then if you end up putting a linebacker in there, he’s going to be a matchup problem. That’s when you get the most value out of tight ends is when they’re true tight ends.”

Reynolds lost his starting job at Penn State during the 2025 season, though he compiled 257 yards on 26 catches during the season. Over two years with the Nittany Lions, he totaled 368 yards and a touchdown on 35 receptions.

Reynolds was named to the Mackey Award Watch List (an award presented yearly to the nation's top tight end of the season) last Wednesday and has garnered some buzz through the offseason. The former five-star compiled a game-high 69 receiving yards on five catches in the Hokies' spring game April 18.

"We've always thought Luke was a big-time player," Franklin said. "We thought he was going to have a huge career. When we felt like we had a chance to get him here, we were like, yeah, this is a no-brainer."

That display of talent showed itself Thursday. During a one-on-one route against redshirt senior safety Tyson Flowers, Reynolds beat the experienced defensive back for a pass along the left sideline, keeping both of his feet in bounds. He was animated following the catch, yelling, "And it's two f——king feet!"

Franklin was supportive of the confidence, though he thinks it's helpful to draw a line between the confidence being competitive and being detrimental to the team's morale.

“There’s a fine line to it,” he said. “I want it to be extremely competitive. I don’t mind them talking a little trash back and forth, but then when it’s done, we’re Virginia Tech. Some guys can’t do that. They go too far. There's a fine line to that.

“But I think we need more of that. I think we need more energy. I think we need more enthusiasm. I think we need more confidence. I think that’s what we were lacking yesterday. Yesterday, I felt like we were just trying to get through practice.”

Franklin also referred to Reynolds as "an awesome kid", a player who's liked by his teammates, has shown flashes and one that could prove to cause matchup problems.

Reynolds, who said after the spring game that he feels that he "has a better understanding of everything now” entering his third collegiate season, appears to be the presumptive No. 1 option, even over three-year starter Benji Gosnell.

Gosnell has started all 25 games over the past two seasons for the Hokies and all but five of his 38 career games, though he only totaled 86 receiving yards last season. Ja'Ricous Hairston should factor into the equation at tight end, too; the former walk-on totaled room-highs in both receiving touchdowns (three) and receiving yards (112 last season). Virginia Tech's tight ends room was a consistent fixture in April 18's spring game, accounting for 205 of the game's 428 receiving yards (47.9% split).

Virginia Tech's 2026 season starts on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m. ET against VMI. It's the first matchup between the two schools since 1984, with the clash being broadcast on the ACC Network.