Three Big Reasons That Virginia Tech Will Be An ACC Contender In 2026

Can James Franklin get Virginia Tech to contender status in his first season as the head coach of the Hokies?

Nov 19, 2025; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin speaks during the press conference at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

Not every team that wins the offseason ends up actually having success on the field, but the Virginia Tech Hokies have had quite a bit of success this offseason under new head coach James Franklin.

The success started with the high school recruiting class, which Franklin was able to get into the top 25 after the Hokies were outside of the top 100 when he arrived. Then he went to work in the transfer portal.

During the two week period that the portal was open, Franklin was able to land 27 commits and currently has the No. 18 overall transfer portal class, which is good for 3rd in the ACC (per 247Sports).

Virginia Tech has gotten a lot of praise for their offseason and here are three reasons that they can be an ACC contender in 2026.

1. ACC Has An Opening

Nov 19, 2025; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin during the press conference at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

The ACC is a better conference than it gets credit for, as shown by Miami nearly winning the national championship, but the conference does seem to be open after the Hurricanes heading into next season.

Miami is going to be the unquestioned favorite in the ACC heading into next season, but despite their run to the championship game, they did lose to Louisville and SMU and have yet to make the conference title game under Mario Cristobal. They will have to go out and earn, but heading into the season, they are the heavy favorite.

But who is next? There is not a clear answer.

Could it be Louisville? SMU? Cal seems like they might be a trendy darkhorse this offseason. Virginia has to reload, as does Georgia Tech. Duke might lose their quarterback and top receiver (to Miami no less).

That leaves some uncertainity behind the Hurricanes and someone has to step up and contend. Why not Virginia Tech?

2. Roster is better

This should be an improved roster.

Virginia Tech was able to close well on its high school class and has one of the top transfer portal classes coming into the conference.

Virginia Tech is going to have a new look QB room this season and there is reason to be excited about it. Penn State transfer Ethan Grunkemeyer looked sharp for the Nittany Lions down the stretch of the season after Drew Allar went down with an injury and North Carolina transfer Bryce Baker was a highly ranked high school recruit.

Virginia Tech was also able to land one of the best wide receivers in the ACC from a season ago when they got Duke WR Que'Sean Brown.

Brown caught 64 passes for 846 yards this past season for the Blue Devils, who had one of the top offenses in the country. In 2024, he caught 41 passes for 445 yards and two touchdowns.

Brown was the 6th-highest rated player on Duke according to PFF (Pro Football Focus), finishing this season with a 72.8 overall grade. In 398 snaps during the 2024 season, Brown finished with a 72.6 overall grade. He is a productive receiver who should make an immediate impact in the Hokies offense

Another pass catcher to watch this season is going to be Penn State tight end transfer Luke Reynolds. Reynolds is a former five-star recruit out of high school and has all the makings of a matchup problem for opposing defenses.

3. Better Coaching

Simply put, James Franklin is one of the best coaches in the country and should have this team playing much better.

Franklin coached 18 All-America selections, 32 national major award winners or finalists and 59 NFL Draft picks at Penn State. In his first 14 years as a head coach, Franklin mentored 116 players reaching the NFL ranks.

He reached 100 wins at Penn State in 2024, becoming one of seven active FBS head coaches with 100 or more wins at their current school (Kirk Ferentz, Iowa; Dabo Swinney, Clemson; Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State; Kyle Whittingham, Utah; Troy Calhoun, Air Force; Kirby Smart, Georgia).

From 2016 to 2024, Penn State was one of four teams to rank in the top 12 of the CFP final rankings at least seven times, joining Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State.

Expecting a playoff appearance in year one and a national championship by year two is not fair to Franklin, but this program has the potential to have a big rise under his leadership.