Three Things To Note Ahead of Virginia Tech's First Media-Available Fall Practice

From the quarterback battle to the secondary, here are three storylines to watch at Virginia Tech's first media-available fall practice.

Virginia Tech Athletics

Though fall camp began yesterday, today is the first day of fall camp that is available for the media. From 4:15 p.m. ET, we'll be available to watch select sessions of Virginia Tech's practice, then at approximately 6:40 p.m. ET, we'll talk to Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin, plus cornerback Isaiah Brown-Murray and offensive lineman Kyle Altuner. Ahead of today's practice, here's a look at the three main questions I think are prevalent entering the first viewable fall practice:

No. 1: At availability, does Virginia Tech name a starting quarterback?

The competition is between Ethan Grunkemeyer (Penn State transfer; redshirt sophomore), Bryce Baker (North Carolina transfer, redshirt freshman), Kelden Ryan (returnee; redshirt freshman) and Troy Huhn (true freshman).

However, Grunkemeyer is the long signal-caller of the four that's taken snaps in actual college football action. Last season, Grunkemeyer totaled 1,339 passing yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions for Penn State — and he got stronger as the season went on. In the final four games of the season, Grunkemeyer threw six touchdowns to no interceptions.

Though Grunkemeyer has only started seven games at the college level, that's seven more than anyone else in the room, and it feels as if it's his job to lose. The question then becomes when Franklin confirms that Grunkemeyer will steer the ship under center to open Week 1 vs. VMI (Sept. 5; 7:30 p.m. ET; ACC Network).

No. 2: How much more does the offense revolve around the tight ends than in years prior?

While this is more of a question that will reveal itself over fall camp and the first couple weeks of the regular season, it's one to take a look at during the brief practice periods we'll be able to watch. Virginia Tech scarcely used its tight ends last season — last year's 1-2 punch was Ja'Ricous Hairston and Benji Gosnell with 112 and 86 yards, respectively — and based off the spring game haul (205 yards, 17 receptions, 47.9% of total receiving yards), it seems reasonable that Virginia Tech will rely more on its TEs than in years past.

The only question is: How much? That's a question partially reliant on how Virginia Tech feels about its wide receivers, a room that appears to have two viable options in Ayden Greene (516 yards, three TDs for Virginia Tech in 2025) and Que'Sean Brown (846 yards, five TDs for Duke in 2025) but a plethora of unknowns beyond that pair. It's a question also partially reliant on the ceiling of Penn State import Luke Reynolds. The 6-foot-4 former five-star recruit totaled 368 receiving yards and one score over two seasons at Penn State.

No. 3: Who emerges on the secondary?

The safeties room appears to be more cut-and-dry for the presumptive Week 1 starters. Redshirt senior Tyson Flowers started all 12 games last season, while Quentin Reddish logged 15 tackles in the first three games of the 2025 campaign (all starts) before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.

At cornerback, Virginia Tech sports Troy transfer Jaquez White, who was the No. 13 cornerback by overall grade on Pro Football Focus (PFF) with an 87.4 grade. White also finished No. 21 nationally in both coverage and run defense, making him one of the Hokies' most proven additions this offseason.

The bigger question is who emerges alongside him. Isaiah Brown-Murray has the experience to factor heavily into the rotation and feels like he'll settle into the nickel role, though he's more than capable of playing outside corner if needed. Joshua Clarke is also one of the names to watch on the boundary as Virginia Tech sorts through its cornerback depth. Other options include Cam Chadwick (UConn. transfer), Jojo Crim (sophomore; eight tackles in six games), Amauri Polydor (joint-game-high seven tackles in Virginia Tech's spring game), Thomas Williams (10 games started in 2025) and Kenny Woseley Jr. (Penn State).

It will be worth paying close attention to which defensive backs are consistently working with the first-team unit and how the Hokies deploy Brown-Murray throughout practice.