Three Notes From Virginia Tech Football's 2026 Media Day

Virginia Tech football's 2026 Media Day offered another glimpse into what the Hokies are trying to build under first-year head coach James Franklin.

With fall camp underway, there are still plenty of questions to answer before Virginia Tech opens the season. The quarterback competition remains unresolved — at least in name — the offensive line is still sorting through combinations, and several position groups have legitimate battles for playing time.

But beyond those individual storylines, three themes stood out during Media Day.

No. 1. The Hokies aren't short on competition.

One of the clearest takeaways from Media Day was just how much competition exists throughout Virginia Tech's roster, though whether that competition results in production remains to be seen.

That is especially true on offense.

For example, on the offensive line, rather than having a predetermined starting five, Virginia Tech is experimenting with different combinations and trying to determine where each player fits best.

There is competition at wide receiver, too, with several players fighting for opportunities behind the more established pieces of the room. Marlion Jackson, Shamarius "Snook" Peterkin, Ayden Greene, Que'Sean Brown, Luke Stuewe, Tyseer Denmark and freshman Davion Brown were among the players singled out for their early performances by the staff and select players. Still, in Franklin's eyes, there's a need for players to separate themselves in the group.

"We need some guys to step up in that room," Franklin said. "We've had that challenge in the past. When you're able to get some guys on the outside that that people are scared of or at least concerned of, it opens everything else up. It opens the tight ends up. It opens the running game up.

"I also make the argument that the better your running game could be, that also creates stress on the defense, which should create opportunities on the outside as well. That's where balance is important. We're going to need some guys to step up and and show that they can change the game and beat people when they want to play man coverage and load the box up."

2. Physicality and versatility are becoming central to the offense.

The second major takeaway was the emphasis on versatility.

That was particularly evident when Franklin discussed the tight end position. Under Ty Howle, Virginia Tech doesn't want its tight ends to be one-dimensional pieces that only can block or only can operate as pass-catchers. The goal is for them to contribute in the passing game, running game and protection, allowing the offense to move players around and create more stress for opposing defenses. Essentially, Franklin's goal is for that position to be a jack of all trades that can contribute in any phase necessary.

That philosophy extends beyond one position.

Franklin has repeatedly emphasized the importance of finding ways to maximize the strengths of the players on the roster rather than simply copying what worked somewhere else. He's also praised Howle for being willing to work collaboratively with defensive coordinator Brent Pry, with both sides focused on making Virginia Tech better rather than simply winning individual practice periods.

"It's not necessarily about beating the offense or beating defense," Franklin said. "It's, how do we prepare Virginia Tech to be the best team possible?"

Howle spotlighted the offensive line in particular, remarking that they're testing out combinations. It helps that the unit has a full deck since Justin Terry and Logan Howland — Ohio State and Oklahoma imports, respectively — have returned from injury.

"There's never a hardline date [to set starting lineups], but you want to figure that out as soon as possible, so those guys can get used to playing beside one another," Howle said. "We've done acouple different lineup combinations throughout the first couple days, trying to figure out who could be our best five."

He went on to spotlight the importance of positional flexibility — since the same five offensive linemen are rarely all healthy at the same time, that means that Virginia Tech may be forced at some point in the season to slide linemen in or out on the line.

"[Having Howland and Terry back] gives us the flexibility ro do what we're talking about and mix the deck up a little bit — and figure out, hey, this guy, maybe he's our third-best tackle, but he could be our second-best guard," Howle said. "Or hey, this guy's our second-best guard, but he could be our second-best tackle. And we [can] make those switches to allow him to get the experience doing it. Offensive line is one of those positions [where] it's hard for the same five to stay healthy all year long."

On the other side of the ball, Pry said he saw stretches of early fall camp in which the Hokies played "reckless and hungry," but with the kind of physicality that can make up for occasional mistakes in execution.

No. 3: There's a genuine sense that this team wants to change the narrative.

Perhaps the most important takeaway from Media Day was the sense that Virginia Tech's players understand what last season means.

They don't want to simply be better than 3-9; they want to restore the program.

Quarterback Kelden Ryan spoke directly about that goal, saying he wants to help "restore Virginia Tech" and bring the program back to where everyone knows it can be.

"We all know this program is capable of a lot," the redshirt freshman said. "We've seen it before, and we just want to bring it back to that."

That sentiment has been echoed throughout the offseason.

The roster has undergone significant change. A new coaching staff has arrived. Players are adjusting to new terminology, new expectations and a new way of doing things. There are over 50 newcomers.

Franklin's comments about the relationship between the staff perhaps sums up how the team is working together best. He emphasized that there needs to be some ego among each of the staff, but also humility and an understanding that everyone is ultimately working toward the same goal — building the best Virginia Tech team possible. Franklin spotlighted Howle in that regard.

"Ego is important," Franklin said. "You've got to have a little bit of that, but there also has to be a balance of humility as well, and I think that's what makes Ty special."

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