Three Remaining Virginia Tech Players Who Will Define The Season After NFL Draft Losses

Who steps up in 2026?

Virginia Tech Athletics

Virginia Tech’s 2026 roster is shaped by who left for the NFL and who stayed. After another cycle of early departures drained key experience on both sides of the ball, the Hokies are left leaning on a smaller group of established veterans and emerging leaders to stabilize the season. From a roster perspective, three players stand out to me as the ones most likely to define how far this team goes: quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, tight end Luke Reynolds and defensive tackle Kemari Copeland.

Grunkemeyer:

The reason for including Grunkemeyer is self-explanatory. The quarterback is often the engine that can make an offense go, fueling it or sinking it depending on the level of the signal-caller.

Virginia Tech was not in a good place there last season. Kyron Drones — now off to the NFL's Green Bay Packers on an undrafted free agent contract — was subpar last season. The then-redshirt senior compiled a 56.5% (178-for-315) completion rate, the lowest of his career. He threw for 1,919 pasing yards (6.1 yards per completion), 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Moreover, he absorbed 27 sacks and his high mark in the finla eight games of the season was a 181-yard performance against then-No. 13 Georgia Tech in a 35-20 loss.

Grunkemeyer helps elevate Virginia Tech's low ceiling from last season. The then-redshirt freshman totaled 1,339 passing yards on a 69.1% (123-for-178) rate last season at Penn State. Across the season, he logged eight passing touchdowns and four interceptions.

He got stronger as the season went along, however. in the final four games of the season, he threw six touchdowns and no interceptions. He also compiled a 219-yard, 22-for-31 game against then-No. 2 Indiana, playing the eventual national champions down to the wire in a narrow 27-24 loss.

Grunkemeyer's effectiveness will define Virginia Tech's season, and at worst, he offers a higher floor for the Hokies to build upon.

Reynolds:

I could put wideout Ayden Greene here, but I decided to put Reynolds here for the reasoning that Virginia Tech's tight ends should play more of a factor than in years past under previous head coach Brent Pry.

For reference, last year, the tight ends totaled 226 receiving yards on 28 catches. During April 18's spring game, the tight ends combined for 205 receiving yards on 17 catches. Reynolds led all receiving targets with 69 receiving yards on four catches. The junior, who transferred from Penn State after two years with the Nittany Lions, amassed 368 receiving yards on 35 catches during his time in Happy Valley.

With a retooled offense under offensive coordinator Ty Howle — who followed Reynolds and Franklin from Penn State to Blacksburg — Reynolds appears to be shaping up to be the leader of a talented tight end room.

Though no tight ends departed, aside from Zeke Wimbush (Liberty), Reynolds should step up as one of the leaders in the Hokies' revamped offense.

Copeland:

Now a redshirt senior, Copeland steps up as the leader of a Virginia Tech defensive line room that's undergone some turnover. Kelvin Gilliam, one of the room's other leaders, is gone, off to the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys on an undrafted free-agent contract.

Copeland, a 6-foot-2, 290-pound redshirt senior, started all 12 games last season, racking up 48 tackles (11 solo), 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, three of which came against California. Copeland was named to the All-ACC Third Team last season after a shortened 2024 campaign in which he played four games and logged six tackles before missing the remainder of the season with a quadriceps injury.

Now, however, Copeland is coming off a breakout season and is positioned to make a strong case for selection in the 2027 NFL Draft. As one of the most experienced players on the defense, he has the potential to serve as the Hokies’ defensive engine and anchor them with the departures of Gilliam and Kody Huisman.