How to Watch Virginia Tech Football vs. VMI: Announcers, TV, Radio, and More

Virginia Tech football opens its season tomorrow evening against the VMI Keydets. Here's how you can tune in to Saturday's contest.

How to Watch

Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ACC Network
Radio: Virginia Tech Sports Network
Radio Voices: Bill Roth (play-by-play), Mike Burnop (analyst); Evan Hughes (sideline reporter)
Live Stats: stats.hokiesports.com

Game Notes

For the first time in 42 years, Virginia Tech takes on the Keydets, and it'll be looking to resume its stretch of dominance over the Keydets. The Hokies have won nine of the last showdowns with VMI, and they've dominated FCS competition, accruing 13 straight wins against FCS opponents.

VMI lost its season opener in Week 0 to Idaho State 38-10, a contest in which it trailed 38-0 entering the final quarter. The Keydets finished with 11 passing yards on nine attempts; two of its three quarterbacks that played in the game (Chandler Wilson and Nana Utsey) finished with negative passing yards, while starter JoJo Crumpt threw for 16 yards on a 3-of-7 clip. VMI relied almost exclusively on the run, rushing 52 times for 229 yards and a touchdown.

Virginia Tech's 2026 clash with the Keydets will also usher in the James Franklin era; Franklin served as the head coach at Penn State from the 2014 season through the first six games of 2025, compiling a 104-45 record with the Nittany Lions and making the COllege Football Playoff semifinal in 2024. Penn State went 3-3 and endured three straight losses, firing Franklin on Oct. 12. The Nittany Lions lost three straight games after Franklin's firing, but eventually finished with a 7-6 record (3-6 Big Ten) and a victory in the Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson that capped off a four-game winning streak.

The quarterback who ushered that late-season comeback was then-redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer, who followed Franklin to Virginia Tech and will make his first start for the former Nittany Lions coach tomorrow. Grunkemeyer started the last seven games of the 2025 season for the Nittany Lions and he threw for 1,339 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions. He was more potent as the season went on; in the fijnal four games, he threw for 777 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions. Grunkemeyer was officially named Virginia Tech's starting quarterback Monday.

Virginia Tech returns 14 starters from last year's squad, which includes wide receiver Ayden Greene (516 yards, three touchdowns in 2026) and defensive tackle Kemari Copeland (48 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks in 2025). Greene will be joined by Duke transfer Que'Sean Brown (846 yards, five touchdowns in 2025), while the third starter doesn't appear to be set in stone quite yet.

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