On3 Sports Ranks Virginia Tech In 2026 Way-Too-Early Top 25
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Virginia Tech football inches closer each day to its 2026 campaign, the first under new head coach James Franklin. Ahead of the season, the Hokies cracked the top-25 in On3's way-too-early top-25 college football rankings, which were released this morning.
Here's the full top 25:
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- Texas
- Notre Dame
- Indiana
- Oregon
- Texas Tech
- Texas A&M
- Miami
- Oklahoma
- Michigan
- LSU
- BYU
- Penn State
- Ole Miss
- Utah
- Alabama
- Washington
- USC
- Tennessee
- Iowa
- Houston
- Virginia Tech
- Florida
- Arizona
NEW: On3 2026 Way-Too-Early College Football Top 25👀
— On3 (@On3) January 19, 2026
Do you agree? 🤔https://t.co/Eel5VBAUlk pic.twitter.com/U2YlWB1Lfg
Virginia Tech's ranking at No. 23 comes to me as a slight surprise. Nine of the Hokies' incoming 2024 recruits come in with four years of eligibility remaining, having redshirted their freshman campaigns.
In addition, Virginia Tech has lingering questions, particularly at offensive line and in the secondary. However, the Hokies see a significant upgrade in quarterback; Kyron Drones has exhausted his eligibility and in his place enters Penn State's Ethan Grunkemeyer. Grunkemeyer started the last seven games of the 2025 season for the Nittany Lions; his career completion percentage of 68.9% would top both Virginia Tech's single-season and career completion percentage records.
Along the O-line, Virginia Tech added six offensive lineman, who clock in at an average of 313 pounds: Randy Adirika, Justin Bell, Logan Howland, Eric Mensah, Justin Terry and Michael Troutman.
Virginia Tech enters 2026 off the back of a disappointing 2025 campaign, where it went 3-9 and fired then-head coach Brent Pry after an 0-3 start, the first such occasion since 1987. Pry will be back this season, but as a defensive coordinator. The new head whistle is Franklin, who previously served as Penn State's head whistle for the past 13 seasons. The Nittany Lions also cracked the list, as seen above, slotting in on On3's list at No. 14.
Whether Virginia Tech can live up to its preseason On3 ranking is yet to be determined; however, the Hokies appear better positioned than previous seasons to rise up to the challenge. Should the Hokies crack the actual top-25 on the AP Poll, it would be the first time since Week 3 of the 2021 season that Virginia Tech cracks the top-25. That year, Virginia Tech won three of its first four games, but the then-No. 15 Hokies fell to West Virginia in Week 3, knocking them out of the top-25. After beating Richmond, a then-3-1 Virginia Tech dropped four of its next five games and ultimately stumbled to a 6-7 finish and a 54-10 loss to Maryland in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Interestingly enough, the Sept. 19 showdown between the Hokies and the Terrapins will be the first time that the two teams have matched up since that Pinstripe Bowl meeting.
Virginia Tech's next contest is its spring game, which will be held on Saturday, April 18. The exact time is yet to be determined; admission will be free.
Virginia Tech's 2026 season officially kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 5 against VMI in the two schools' first meeting since 1984.
More Virginia Tech Football News:
Thomas is a sophomore at Virginia Tech majoring in multimedia journalism with a minor in creative writing. He currently works with Collegiate Times, Virginia Tech's student-run newspaper, as a staff writer for its sports section. In addition, he also writes for 3304 Sports as a staff writer and on-air talent, as well as Aspiring Journalists at Virginia Tech as a curator. You can find him on X: @thomashughes_05.
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