Hughes: Ethan Grunkemeyer or Beau Pribula? Why Not Both?

I think that Virginia Tech has a runway to where they don't have to choose. Here's why.

Nov 29, 2025; Fayetteville, Ark.; Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula (9) runs during the first quarter against Arkansas. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

At this point, from my vantage point, Virginia Tech seems like it’s in an infinitesimally better position at quarterback than it was a year ago.

Rather than about crowning Virginia Tech's next signal-caller of the quarter-century, It’s about optionality. It’s about depth. And for the first time in a while, it’s about the Hokies not having to talk themselves into a solution that doesn’t exist in reality.

The Ethan Grunkemeyer vs. Beau Pribula conversation frames this like a binary choice when it doesn’t have to be one. In fact, I think the best version of the Hokies’ immediate future likely includes both... if Virginia Tech can sell them on it.

NEW: Virginia Tech is the school to watch for Penn State transfer QB Ethan Grunkemeyer, @PeteNakos reports.

Read: https://t.co/BwNRgepGne https://t.co/9klbDoBDZD pic.twitter.com/TjQCFR2deS

— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) January 2, 2026

Pribula's played at the Power Five level, understands the speed of the game and has already proven he can operate an offense without it collapsing around him. For a program trying to stabilize itself week-to-week, that is vital. Virginia Tech doesn’t need brilliance right now as much as it needs competence it can trust. Pribula gives them a reasonable floor, albeit a perhaps limited ceiling compared to the other quarterback the Hokies are rumored around.

Grunkemeyer, meanwhile, represents something Virginia Tech hasn’t been able to realistically sell itself on in a while: continuity. Grunkemeyer would be a redshirt sophomore in 2026: still young and potentially moldable into the quarterback new head coach James Franklin wants him to be, but no longer raw. That’s the kind of developmental arc programs dream about and rarely get to see through. The tools are there. The flashes are there.

That’s where this gets tricky — and where Virginia Tech has to thread the needle.

Convincing either quarterback to accept their role won’t be easy. Convincing one to be the backup is harder than diagramming any offense. The transfer portal has changed expectations, leverage, and patience. Still, this is a far more compelling pitch than what Tech was offering a year ago, when the only quarterback that it landed through the portal. Then, the Hokies were searching for answers. Now, they’re managing possibilities.

In a situation like this, I think that clarity is paramount. So is transparency. Programs lose quarterbacks when they overpromise or undersell reality. Virginia Tech doesn’t need to do either. It just needs to present a plan and stick to it.

And zooming out, that alone is a massive improvement from last season. This time last year, quarterback conversations felt desperate. They were about plugging leaks rather than building something sustainable. Now, the Hokies are debating sequencing instead of scrambling for survival.

Is this perfect? No. Is it fragile? Absolutely. But it’s real progress. Having a present you trust and a future you believe in isn’t a problem. It’s a luxury. It's one Virginia Tech hasn’t had in a while.