Three Takeaways From Virginia Tech's First Week Of Fall Camp

It was a highly anticipated fall camp for Virginia Tech, as it was their first one under new head coach James Franklin. Expectations have been raised under Franklin, and Virginia Tech is hoping to be a contender in the ACC this season.

While there have only been a handful of practices so far, what have been the key takeaways?

1. No starter declared at quarterback yet

Ethan Grunkemeyer Penn Stat — Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer (17) looks to throw during the NCAA football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Nov. 1, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

While it is still assumed that Ethan Grunkemeyer is going to be named the starting quarterback eventually, that has not happened yet, but Franklin said at practice earlier in the week that the team was going to declare a starting quarterback before week one:

"We're not gonna be like some of these people now, like they do the Daffy Duck lineup, like we're not gonna play those games with you. I think that's disrespectful to you guys and the fans. Yeah, so we will, you know, before game week, right? It may be the day before game week. I'm not sure. It could be before that. Again, it's not as big of a deal for us as you guys, but out of respect for your guys' jobs and what you got to do, once it becomes clearly obvious, then we'll do that."

Grunkemeyer is still the heavy favorite to be the QB for the Hokies this fall, but Franklin is going to make sure he earns it.

2. Luke Reynolds hitting the ground running

Luke Reynolds Penn Stat — Nov 22, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Luke Reynolds (85) runs the ball on a fake punt during the fourth quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Luke Reynolds might not be a house hold name yet, but I think he has a chance to be by the time the season is over.

As a former five-star recruit, Reynolds showed flashes of being a top weapon while at Penn State and Franklin and his coaching staff have shown the ability to develop high-level tight ends, most recently Tyler Warren who ended up being a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Reynolds is already impressing early on in fall camp for the Hokies:

"We've always thought Luke was a big-time player. We thought he was going to have a huge career, and when we felt like we had a chance to get him here, we were like, yeah, this is a no-brainer. And not only that, he's just an awesome kid. He's really liked by his teammates. You guys saw flashes of what he can do in the spring game. But again, he's a true tight end. He's going to stick his nose in there and knock you, and he's 252 pounds as well. So, that makes him even more difficult to defend because they got to choose, right?

Are we going to play nickel and try to match up with them, and then he's going to put his nose in the C-gap and mash your ass, right? And then if you if you end up putting a you know a linebacker in there, then he's going to be a matchup problem. So that those to me, that's when you get the most value out of tight ends is when they're true tight ends."

3. Trust level is getting better

When you are playing for a new head coach, it can take time to adjust and to gain the trust from the new staff and vice versa. The spring saw some huge strides made and Franklin admitted that things are getting better:

"Yeah, I think think a couple of things. First of all, I think that's one of the differences now in college football, and you could make an argument. We all have our opinions, right, on some of the things in college football now. But every single one of those kids chose Virginia Tech and chose us, because every single one of them could have left, right? So, I think there's a little bit different of a mentality and buy-in with that because they all chose to stay, you know, or come here. So I think that helps. I also think, you know, when you when you retain Brent Pry and Jarrett Ferguson and Michael Hazel, all these guys, and they can say these are the guys we need to retain, not only from a playing perspective but also from a culture perspective."

Building trust and cohesion is an underrated part of a championship team and things are starting to head in the right direction in Blacksburg.

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