Three Keys To Watch For Virginia Tech Vs. VMI

Virginia Tech opens the James Franklin era against VMI on Saturday. Here are three key areas to watch as the Hokies begin the 2026 season.

Virginia Tech Athletics

BLACKSBURG, Va. — If you intend on tuning in for Saturday's contest for VMI and Virginia Tech expecting a close affair, you won't get it. Power Four opponents have won 125 consecutive games against FCS schools and Virginia Tech has not lost to an FCS school since James Madison in 2010 (JMU has sinced moved up to the FBS level). Case in point? Virginia Tech is favored to win 68-0 on ESPN writer Bill Connelly's SP+ metric. ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) projects Virginia Tech to have a 99.0% chance to win the season.

Saturday's game, in all likelihood, will be closer to a testing session than a true, competitive game. Still, it is one to watch for several reasons — it will be Virginia Tech's first-ever true game with James Franklin at the helm and it will provide the first in-game look at how over 50 newcomers fare in their first game with the Hokies. Here are three keys I think you should watch for the Hokies' season-opening tilt:

Key No. 1: Virginia Tech's potency under center.

Ethan Grunkemeyer was named Virginia Tech's starting quarterback for the season-opening clash against the Keydets, but he likely won't be the only signal-caller getting some run Saturday.

Virginia Tech likely will run with more than one quarterback against VMI; the contest itself should enable the Hokies to play two, three or even all four of their quarterbacks if time allows. The question, then, is how comfortable each option looks under center. Though Grunkemeyer is the lone of the room's four quarterbacks with any collegiate experience, he himself will be making only his eighth start Saturday and is still green. Still, he's now had a preseason under his belt with the ones and could be primed for a stellar redshirt sophomore season.

Grunkemeyer threw for 1,339 yards, eight touchdowns and four picks, drawing starts against Clemson, Ohio State and last year's national champion Indiana. The then-redshirt freshman won his final four games, culminating with a 260-yard, two-touchdown effort against the Tigers in a 22-10 win. The redshirt sophomore likely won't play the whole game, though, which offers an avenue to see at least one, if not two or three, of Bryce Baker, Troy Huhn and Kelden Ryan. Any of them getting snaps should give at least a better indicator than nothing of what the team could look like if Grunkemeyer goes down to injury or Virginia Tech needs to change its starter.

Key No. 2: Virginia Tech's offensive line executing.

Virginia Tech's offensive line should have an advantage over VMI's defensive line by osmosis of it being an FBS vs. FCS matchup — and a Power Four vs. FCS matchup, at that. The Hokies' offensive line getting as close to a stellar output as it can, though, is crucial.

Virginia Tech's O-line struggled especially in pass protection last season, a big part of why it never found its footing in 2025 under redshirt senior Kyron Drones. Too often, pressure disrupted plays before they had much of a chance to develop, placing an already inconsistent offense in even more difficult situations.

Saturday represents an opportunity to start putting some of those concerns to rest. Dominating an FCS defensive front won't prove that Virginia Tech's offensive line is fixed. Anything considerably short of that, however, could make the position one of the biggest concerns heading into the more difficult portions of the schedule.

Key No. 3: Who emerges from Virginia Tech's secondary depth?

Virginia Tech's starting secondary doesn't present nearly as many questions as the group behind it.

Jaquez White, Isaiah Brown-Murray and Joshua Clarke give the Hokies an experienced group at cornerback and nickel, while Quentin Reddish and Tyson Flowers headline the options at safety. Brennan Johnson and Sheldon Robinson should also factor heavily into the rotation after carving out a role for themselves last season as freshmen. The more interesting part Saturday could be who emerges behind that group.

Players such as Cam Chadwick, Kenny Woseley, Thomas Williams, Jahmari DeLoatch and Jordan "Jojo" Crim have all been among the names competing for spots further down the cornerback depth chart. Franklin and defensive coordinator Brent Pry should have an opportunity to dig deeper into the secondary and see which players can be trusted with meaningful snaps.

Safety presents a similar situation. Reddish, Flowers and Robinson give Virginia Tech options at the top, with Sherrod Covil providing additional versatility. The Hokies also added former South Carolina defensive back DQ Smith this week, although Franklin confirmed that Smith will not play against VMI because he must complete the NCAA-mandated acclimation period before appearing in a game.

Virginia Tech probably won't learn exactly what its secondary rotation looks like for ACC play on Saturday. It should, however, get a better idea of which players it can trust once it has to go beyond the starters.

Virginia Tech's 2026 opener against VMI is set for Saturday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m. ET. The contest will be available for viewing on the ACC network, and it will be the first matchup between the schools since the 1984 season.