Virginia Tech Offseason Recap: Where The Hokies Improved And Where They Didn't

BLACKSBURG, Va. — With the season just around the corner, we're getting a strong idea of how exactly the Hokies might line up in their opening weekend against VMI. The Hokies had a strong offseason; they "won the offseason," in head coach James Franklin's words. But they didn't improve in every single spot on the roster compared to last season.

In this piece, I will go over the position where the Hokies improved most, and where they took the biggest step back.

Biggest Improvement: Tight Ends

Last season, the Hokies hardly used tight ends under Phillip Montgomery's offensive scheme, completing just 28 passes to tight ends for 226 yards, averaging 8.1 yards per catch. That takes a massive step down from 2024, where the Hokies completed 32 passes to Benji Gosnell alone. He tallied 341 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Now, the Hokies are under a new offensive system that plans to utilize the tight end more than the Hokies have seen in recent years, and perhaps more than they've ever seen. The Hokies retained Gosnell and Ja'Ricous Hairston, along with adding Luke Reynolds and Matt Henderson.

Arguably the deepest position on the offensive side of the ball, Virginia Tech tight ends are going to play a huge role in the 2026 offensive scheme under OC Ty Howle.

Biggest Step Back: Safeties

While the Hokies took large steps forward at almost every group on the field, Virginia Tech lost a lot of depth in the safties room.

The step back wasn't at the top of the depth chart, where the Hokies have Quentin Reddish and Tyson Flowers, along with Sheldon Robinson, who played well as a freshman. The step back comes in the team's depth at the position, where the losses of Christian Ellis and Joseph Reddish — who both transferred out — are highlighted, particularly with Ellis' exit.

If they can stay healthy, the lack of depth at safety shouldn't rear its head this season. If Quentin Reddish struggles to stay healthy again, or if Flowers is injured, the Hokies' lack of depth at safety could very quickly become prevalent.

Overall Recap:

I was hard pressed to find a place where the Hokies took a strong step back year-over-year, and that's because the coaching staff did a stellar job of upgrading and retaining the roster. The Hokies did lose depth in some key areas — such as safeties — but added significant depth in others such as wide receiver, linebacker, cornerback, etc.

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