Ranking the five most important moves Virginia Tech made this offseason
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If you were not aware, Virginia Tech has officially been declared the winner of the offseason.
Sure, it was their head coach that declared that, but he has a point. After one of the worst seasons in program history, the Hokies have been putting the investment into the program to ensure that they can get back to competing for ACC Championships and their first ever College Football Playoff Berth.
For such a busy offseason, what were the five most important moves Virginia Tech made?
5. Retaining key players
When you go 3-9, there is not a lot to be excited about and it is not a surprise that when a new head coach is hired, most of the players opt to enter the transfer portal.
But the Hokies had more talent than their record suggested and they made sure to keep a chunk of it on the roster.
Having Jeffrey Overton and Marcellous Hawkins back should give the Hokies one of the best running back tandems in the ACC, Ayden Greene is back at receiver, Kemari Copeland is going to lead the defense, and there are veterans back on the offensive line.
Those veterans, as well as the transfer portal and high school recruiting class, give Virginia Tech a solid foundation to build on for 2026.
4. Hiring Brent Pry as the Defensive Coordinator
Brent Pry was not a successful head coach at Virginia Tech, but he has a track record of being a very good defensive coordinator at the collegiate level. His familiarity with Franklin will help smooth this transition, and I think he is going to have a chance to be one of the most important coordinator hires in the ACC.
3. Landing Luke Reynolds out of the transfer portal
As a whole, Virginia Tech was able to put together a really strong transfer portal class, but the most talented player might be tight end Luke Reynolds.
Reynolds is a former five-star prospect, who looked the part during his time at Penn State and Franklin did a great job (though expected) of being able to land him. During his time at Penn State as the head coach, Franklin coached and developed a lot of NFL tight ends, including Tyler Warren and Mike Gesicki.
Reynolds should be target No. 1 for whoever starts at quarterback and has a chance to put together an All-ACC season.
2. Getting Ethan Grunkemeyer out of the transfer portal
While Reynolds might end up being the most talented player and best NFL prospect of Virginia Tech's 2026 portal class, Ethan Grunkemeyer might be the most important.
Grunkemeyer got a chance to start last season at Penn State when Drew Allar went down with an injury and there were a lot of positives from how he played, especially in tough games against Indiana and Ohio State.
He still has a lot of growth to go through and he has not been declared the starting quarterback yet, but all signs point to that happening during fall camp. He has All-ACC type talent and if he can play up to it, Virginia Tech might find themselves in Charlotte in Decemeber.
1. Hiring James Franklin
This might end up being not only the most impactful move of the offseason for Virginia Tech, but for any program in the country.
Franklin was the most proven coach on the market and the Hokies were able to land him after a successful run at Penn State. While Franklin is criticized for not being able to win a national championship with the Nittany Lions or being able to beat Michigan or Ohio State enough, he won double-digit games consistently, which is more than a lot of programs can say.
How quick will he turn things around in Blacksburg? It could be longer than fans might want, but I think he is eventually going to have them as an annual playoff contender.
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Jackson Caudell has been a publisher at the On SI network for four years and has extensive knowledge covering college athletics and the NBA. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast, and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell
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