The Most Glaring Concern for Virginia Tech Football and How to Fix it

James Franklin remade the roster and staff in nine months. The offensive line still decides how far the Hokies go.

Blacksburg, VA — James Franklin standing at the exit of the tunnel during Enter Sandman. Spring game, 2026. | Virginia Tech Athletic

Twenty-nine. That's how many times Virginia Tech quarterbacks hit the turf last season, roughly 2.4 a game and 105th in the country. It's the kind of number that follows a program around. And it's the one thing head coach James Franklin hasn't tangibly fixed in nine months of fixing nearly everything else.

He's remade the roster, more than 50 newcomers deep. He hired a new offensive coordinator, handed the defense to Brent Pry, the head coach he replaced, and built a quarterback room worth arguing about. What he inherited, and still hasn't solved, is the line in front of all of it.

Then camp opened, and it got worse. Johnny Garrett was supposed to be someone steady Franklin can rely on. The redshirt senior started 10 games at left tackle a year ago and allowed just two sacks. Days into fall camp, he went down with what Franklin called a "long-term" injury, no timetable attached.

Here's the strange part. The run game was really good last season. Virginia Tech averaged 182.4 rushing yards a game in 2025, third in the ACC. Everything fell apart when the Hokies had to throw. They managed 166.3 passing yards a game, one of the worst marks in the Power Four, and topped 24 points against an ACC opponent just once all season. That's not a new story in Blacksburg. The Hokies haven't had a line they could build around since Christian Darrisaw left for the NFL as a first-round pick in 2021.

How Virginia Tech fixes it

Settle the five, and settle them now. A line gets good by playing together, not by rotating bodies, so the fastest path is naming a starting group early and living with the growing pains. The pieces exist. Kyle Altuner is the anchor, a center who started all 12 games as a redshirt freshman and gave up one sack all year. Oklahoma transfer Logan Howland is the favorite at left tackle, working back from a season-ending injury of his own. Ohio State transfer Justin Terry graded out solid in limited action at RT and should challenge Howland on the left, and Montavious Cunningham returns after four starts at guardm though he'll move to right tackle. Brody Meadows is also back from a foot injury that wiped out his 2025 campaign.

Then protect the passer, specifically. The run blocking already works. The fix is pass protection, which means quicker throws, help from tight ends and backs on the edge, and a quarterback who gets the ball out before the pocket caves. Depth is the last piece.

The schedule cooperates. Four games against VMI, Old Dominion, Maryland and Boston College before the schedule turns, and Clemson, SMU and Miami start hunting the quarterback.