Projecting Virginia Tech Football's Depth Chart For Week 1 vs. VMI

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Tech's first depth chart of the James Franklin era won't officially arrive before Saturday's season opener against VMI, leaving a few questions about how the Hokies will line up for Week 1.

Some of those questions have already been answered. Franklin named Ethan Grunkemeyer his starting quarterback and revealed Tech's presumptive starting five along the offensive line Monday, while several other positions have featured relatively clear pecking orders throughout the preseason.

Others aren't nearly as settled. From crowded rotations along the defensive line and at cornerback to questions about the second unit at linebacker and safety, Saturday should provide the first real glimpse at how Franklin and his staff view the roster after a full offseason in Blacksburg. With injuries, preseason practice observations and comments from Tech's coaching staff taken into account, here's how I project the Hokies' depth chart to look against the Keydets.

Quarterback

Starter: Ethan Grunkemeyer
Backup: Bryce Baker

Head coach James Franklin officially confirmed Grunkemeyer as the starting quarterback for Week 1 at Monday's press conference, though he left the door open for a backup to emerge. If Virginia Tech pulls away from VMI as expected, I'd expect at least one, if not two, of the Hokies' backup signal-callers to get some run.

Running Back

Starter: Marcellous Hawkins
Backup: Jeffrey Overton Jr.; Tyler Mason, Messiah Mickens

Hawkins rushed for 749 yards and a touchdown last season at Virginia Tech, operating as the Hokies' primary three-down back. I think Overton Jr. will carve out a significant role; the redshirt freshman rushed for 146 yards in four games after missing the first eight games of 2025 rehabbing from a torn ACL. As for who slots in as RB3, Franklin mentioned late in fall camp that it seems to be a battle between redshirt sophomore Tyler Mason and true freshman Messiah Mickens. I think Mason will win the tussle for RB3, but that

Wide Receivers

Starters: Ayden Greene, Que'Sean Brown, Marlion Jackson
Backups: Tyseer Denmark, Davion "FatRat" Brown, Takye Heath, Luke Stuewe; Keylen "Brodie" Adams, Chanz Wiggins, Jeff Exinor Jr.

Greene and Que'Sean Brown feel fairly entrenched as the top-two wideout after the two compiled 516 and 846 receiving yards at Virginia Tech and Duke in 2025, respectively. Jackson, who accrued 753 receiving yards over the past three seasons at Louisiana Tech, feels like the next man up at No. 3, though the order behind him is largely murky.

Takye Heath (200 yards in 2025) could flare up again, while newcomers in Penn State transfer Tyseer Denmark and true freshman Davion "FatRat" Brown appear poised for solid roles. That's before delving into other prospects, including Luke Stuewe, Keylen "Brodie" Adams, Chanz Wiggins, Jeff Exinor Jr., etc.

Peterkin wasn't visible at the final media-open fall camp practice, while Heath and Stuewe were on the sideline, though.

Tight Ends

Starter: Luke Reynolds
Backups: Benji Gosnell; Ja'Ricous Hairston, Harrison Saint Germain

Reynolds feels fairly entrenched as the No. 1 even though Gosnell has been a three-year starter at the position. Reynolds accumulated 257 receiving yards last season at Penn State and hauled in five passes for a game-high 69 yards at Virginia Tech's spring game April 18. This feels like a situation where the HO

Offensive Line

Starters: Justin Terry, Layth Ghannam, Kyle Altuner, Montavious Cunningham, Aidan Lynch
Backups: Logan Howland, Lucas Austin, Tommy Ricard, Brody Meadows, Montavious Cunningham

Franklin revealed the starting five Monday, with Cunningham at right guard serving as the most notable development. He spent portions of the preseason working at right tackle, while Meadows — one of the more experienced options in the room — had been getting work inside at right guard. Instead, Lynch will remain at right tackle after being thrown into the deep end as a freshman last season.

Terry earned the nod at left tackle after transferring from Ohio State. Howland had been competing for that job, though he missed the spring with an injury. Franklin said that he feels the O-line goes about six or seven players deep, however, so the O-line is at least in a better spot than it was at last year.

Defensive Line

Starters: Aycen Stevens, Kemari Copeland, Elhadj Fall, mylachi Williams
Backups: Cortez Harris or Samuel Okunlola, Randy Adirika, Eric Mensah, Javion Hilson

Defensive line coach Sean Spencer has repeatedly emphasized playing a deep rotation, and the Hokies may have enough different skill sets for that approach to make sense.

Copeland is the centerpiece. He's coming off an impressive first full season in Blacksburg and should have more opportunities to attack under Pry's four-man structure. Fall projects alongside him, but Adirika and Mensah should prevent Tech from having to overwork either starter. The absence of Emmett Laws takes away one veteran option, though it shouldn't leave the Hokies scrambling for snaps inside.

Defensive end is much more difficult to project. Stevens' strong preseason — which included frequently carrying the Lunch Pail — gives him the edge at one spot, while Williams could get the first crack opposite him. That doesn't mean Harris, Okunlola or Hilson will be relegated to minor roles. Okunlola's eight career sacks give Tech a proven pass-rushing option, while Hilson, a transfer from Mizzou could force his way onto the field sooner rather than later.

Linebackers

Starters: Kaleb Spencer, Noah Chambers, Keon Wylie
Backups: Sherrod Covil, Georga Ballance, Curtis Jones

The interesting part of Tech's linebacker alignment isn't who starts, but where Spencer starts. Pry has called him the Hokies' best linebacker at all three positions, yet Tech's confidence in its options inside allows Spencer to remain on the outside, where he could be used more aggressively.

Chambers should get the opportunity to build on an uneven but promising freshman season in the middle, while Wylie brings experience from Penn State to the other outside spot. If that trio remains healthy, there shouldn't be much mystery about who receives the bulk of the snaps.

There is considerably less certainty once Tech dips into its bench. Ballance has separated himself enough to earn a captaincy and looks like the safest fourth option after upgrading from a walk-on, but injuries and position changes have reshaped everything behind him. Covil came down from safety, Jones moved inside after playing on the edge at West Virginia and Santiago lost preseason work because of an injury.

VMI should give Tech a chance to learn more about that second group. The Hokies know who their top three are; figuring out how far they can comfortably extend the rotation is the bigger question.

Cornerbacks/Nickels

Starters: Jaquez White, Joshua Clarke, Isaiah Brown-Murray
Backups: Cam Chadwick, Thomas Williams, Kenny Woseley, Amauri Polydor

There might not be three defensive backs Tech wants on the field more than White, Clarke and Brown-Murray. That's what makes nickel such an appealing base look for Pry, as it allows the Hokies to feature all three without sacrificing one of their best players for the sake of personnel.

Brown-Murray already established himself at corner nickel last season, while White arrives after earning All-Sun Belt honors at Troy. Clarke is essentially another addition after an injury wiped out what was expected to be a starting role in 2025.

The more intriguing battle is for everything behind them. Chadwick has starting experience from UConn, Williams started 10 games for Tech last season and Woseley saw the field at Penn State before following Franklin to Blacksburg. Polydor adds another talented young option who doesn't necessarily need to be rushed into action.

That abundance of corners has also given Tech some freedom elsewhere. Woseley has received work at safety and nickel during the preseason and can slide inside behind Brown-Murray if needed. Rather than searching for a fourth defensive back it trusts, Tech might spend the opening weeks determining which one it can afford to leave off the field.

Cleveland was also spotlighted by Franklin for his speed, while I wouldn't be shocked to see Jojo Crim and Jahmari DeLoatch get some run.

Safeties

Starters: Tyson Flowers, Quentin Reddish
Backups: Brennan Johnson, Sheldon Robinson; Jordan Bass, D.Q. Smith

Safety presents almost the inverse of cornerback. Tech has a fairly straightforward starting combination in Flowers and Reddish, but there isn't nearly as much certainty about what happens when either leaves the field.

Flowers brings the most experience after starting all 12 games last season, and his selection as a captain suggests the new staff values more than just his returning production. Tackling remains something to monitor after an uneven 2025 in that department. Reddish has a different challenge: staying healthy and turning the promise he's shown into a full season of production.

Saturday could be more revealing for the players behind them. Johnson and Robinson both received experience as freshman it last season, experience that could prove useful now that they're competing for legitimate spots in the two-deep.

Necessity pushed Bass to safety for 390 snaps and five starts. With more natural depth available in 2026, the Hokies can be more selective with his usage rather than asking him to fill a role out of necessity. D.Q. Smith, a late transfer from South Carolina, could factor in if he's able to play the whole season. Smith totaled 228 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and five interceptions in four years with the Gamecocks.

Specialists

Starters: Nathan Totten, John Love, Cole Byrd, Christian Epling

Love and Epling have been multi-year starters at their positions and return for their final year iof eligibility. Byrd, meanwhile, emerged as the top kickoff specialist from fall camp, with Franklin also saying that he likely settles in as the backup kicker behid the elder Love. John Love's youner brother Will love could also factor into the kicking game, whether it be as a place kicker or as a punter,

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