James Franklin Updates Virginia Tech's Quarterback Battle Almost Two Weeks Into Spring

Virginia Tech is in the midst of its first spring practice under head coach James Franklin and the Hokies are trying to nail down how their team is going to look in 2026.

One of the key battles to watch this spring is going to be at quarterback. Now, Penn State transfer Ethan Grunkemeyer has been viewed as the favorite since he committed to Virginia Tech, but there is a reason that the Hokies coaching staff brought in UNC transfer Bryce Baker. Baker is a former highly rated high school quarterback with plenty of ability and a high ceiling.

Two weeks in, how is that battle progressing? That is something that Franklin touched on yesterday after practice when he met with the media:

"It's been good, but that was part of the decision [about Brand], too, is like there's not enough reps to go around, right? We've got to have a three-deep at every position that we feel like we can win with. And we don't have to have that today. But we got to have that by August. So, every rep is like gold. The reality is, it's hard to get all those guys reps.d We've got to come out of this spring feeling really good about our No. 1 and our No. 2. And we got to feel really good about the possibility of a three in the future. here. When I say our No. 1 and No. 2, we got to feel at the end of spring, we got two guys to go into training camp that legitimately can compete for the starting job and that we can win games with. Then, whoever the third is coming along."

The quarterback room did see a departure yesterday, with Franklin mentioning that AJ Brand is moving to wide receiver:

"Yeah, so AJ is going to move to wideout. That was the position he wanted to move to. The reality is a couple things. He's too good of an athlete, and he's too good of a guy. Everybody on the team loves him. He's got an infectious personality. Right now, where he was at on the depth chart, we had a conversation with him and his father that it was my opinion and our opinion, that this was in his best interest and the team's best interest. I think he can help us on offense and I think he can help us on special teams. This is just a way to get another really good athlete and another really good person the ability to earn a role to help us win games come the fall."

I think it is fair to say that Grunkemeyer is still the favorite to win the job coming out of spring practice, but keep an eye on Baker's progression. Quarterback battles are about more than just figuring out who the starter is, its about figuring out the depth of the position as well. Until a starter is named, this is going to be the top battle to watch in Blacksburg this spring.