Three Takeaways From Virginia Tech Football's 2026 Spring Game

The White Team — composed primarily of the Hokies' reserves — beat the maroon team, 30-21.

Virginia Tech Athletics

Virginia Tech football's spring game took place today, a contest that the maroon squad won, 30-21. Here's three takeaways from the contest.

Thank you for showing out today, Hokie Nation!

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— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) April 18, 2026

No. 1: Tight ends will factor into the equation much more than in previous years.

In the first spring game under Franklin, Virginia Tech's tight ends were incandescent. Of the 428 total receiving yards, the Hokies' tight ends totaled 205, doing so on 17 receptions. Here's how it spread out:

• Luke Reynolds, Maroon Team: 69 receiving yards, five receptions
• Benji Gosnell, White Team: 34 receiving yards, five receptions
• Ja'Ricous Hairston, White Team: 58 receiving yards, four receptions
• Harrison Saint Germain, Maroon Team: 29 receiving yards, two receptions
• Brody Jones, White Team: 15 receiving yards, one reception

Reynolds presumably will be the starter come Sept. 5's opener against VMI, but Gosnell, Hairston and Saint Germain acquitted themselves well. Last season, Hairston totaled a joint-team-high three receiving touchdowns, leading the tight end room in both receiving yards (112) and touchdowns (three).

The Hokies' tight end room also features a coalescence of both familiarity with the roster and multi-year usage for half of its scholarship unit.

Reynolds and Hairston each have two years of eligibility remaining, while Gosnell and Saint Germain are on their last year. Moreover, both Reynolds and Hairston have played at quarterback before, having both done so in high school. The two, plus wide receiver AJ Brand, could offer some variety for Wildcat-type plays.

No. 2: Saturday's showdown offered a brighter glimpse at the specifics of the quarterback battle.

Although the quarterbacks were deemed not live for Saturday's contest, the showdown still proferred an added glimpse into how the quarterback battle is unfolding.

Ethan Grunkemeyer (Maroon Team) added a degree of separation Saturday, going 13-of-17 for 136 passing yards and a touchdown. He absorbed one sack and threw one pick, which came from walk-on cornerback Josh Jones. On his first drive, he went a perfect 5-of-5 for 66 yards, throwing a touchdown to wideout Que'Sean Brown to open the spring game.

UNC transfer quarterback Bryce Baker (White Team) went 15-for-27, throwing one touchdown and no picks. He absorbed two sacks and completed the day's longest pass — a 32-yarder to Hairston in the third quarter that preceded the contest's final touchdown.

Redshirt freshman Kelden Ryan tacked on 88 passing yards on a 9-of-14 clip. Baker and Ryan combined for 228 passing yards and a pair of scores, going 24-for-41.

True freshman Troy Huhn struggled Saturday. The maroon team signal-caller went 5-for-8 for 64 passing yards and had the maroon team's longest completion with a 21-yard dot to Saint Germain. However, Huhn sustained six "sacks" — he was deemed not live, so most plays that would have resulted in sacks under normal playing conditions were deemed as such.

Grunkemeyer's poise under center Saturday may have rendered Virginia Tech's quarterback battle less of a debate, at least in my eyes, though head coach James Franklin did not delve much into the matter when asked if any particular quarterback stood out.

"I know you guys hate this answer, but as coaches, you hate to come in right after being on the field and make a statement or interpret their play," Franklin said. "Because a lot of times, you leave the practice field and you don't feel great, and then, you watch the tape, it's better than you thought, and vice versa. I do think we talked about at every position on the team, creating competition. I think we've definitely done that at the quarterback position."

No. 3: Several intriguing names popped out on defense.

A trio of relatively surprising names led the teams in tackles with seven apiece: linebacker Antwone Santiago (four solo), cornerback Joshua Clarke (six solo — game-high) and cornerback Amauri Polydor (three solo).

Santiago started two games last season. The 6-foot-2, 233-pound linebacker tallied nine tackles and a tackle for loss in 2025. Though the spring game typically offers little in the vein of playcalling as compared to when contests actually get underway, Santiago acquitted himself well.

Clarke's efforts came after he missed the entirety of the 2025 season due to a lower-body injury. In his lone official contest of collegiate football, he logged two tackles in the Duke's Mayo Bowl to conclude the 2024 season.

"He hasn't always been the most physical guy," said defensive coordinator Brent Pry. "Coming off of that injury, sometimes you can be bashful. I thought today, I saw him step up and put his pads on people and make a strong tackle."

Polydor has come on strong as a freshman. Polydor entered Virginia Tech as a three-star recruit on 247Sports, sitting as the No. 97 cornerback in the Class of 2026. Earlier in camp, Pry spotlighted how the freshman has occasionally made stellar plays and at other points, languished through typical freshman mistakes.

April 18, 2026; Virginia Tech cornerback Amauri Polydor (18) attempts to tackle wide receiver Ayden Greene (0) in the spring game. | Virginia Tech Athletics

"The moments aren't too big for him," Pry said. "He just has to learn the defense. A lot of these guys come out of high school, and they just play on their abilities. They weren't asked to play in a structure with specific assignments and having to execute. That's part of the learning curve when they get to college. You can't just rely on your skills. You have to play in a framework and let the plays come to you when they need to. But he's a talented guy, run game and throw game."