Virginia Tech's Spring Practice Report, March 31: Overton Shining, Defensive Ends Strong, Pry Back In His Element

Another day of Virginia Tech spring practice is in the books. Less than 20 days now separate the Hokies from the spring game, which will take place on Saturday, April 18, at 3 p.m. ET. During the post-practice media session, several intriguing gibbets of information were allotted. Here's a look at some of the notes to grab from the March 31 practice:

No. 1: Defensive coordinator Brent Pry feels strong about the depth of the defensive end group.

To Pry, Virginia Tech has as many as six defensive ends capable of contending for the starting job. Aycen Stevens, Jason Abbey, Deric Dandy and Brett Clatterbaugh slide in as the top returners, while transfers Javion Hilson (Missouri) and Cortez Harris (Penn State) enter the fray.

“We’ve got six guys that we feel like are vying to be starters,” Pry said, “and then you figure out who the next group is. We may play with five. I don’t know that we generally play with six ends, but we’ll play with five. But we’ve got a healthy competition going right there.”

At tackle, the answer is less clear beyond mainstay starter Kemari Copeland.

“We’re probably not as far along as we are at end,” Pry said. “There’s candidates there, there’s size, there’s strength. We’re just not getting as much production out of those guys as we are with the group of ends. I’d love to see all of those tackles challenging Kemari."

No. 2: The quarterback battle rages on, and Franklin wants the outcome answerless — for now.

The hope for Franklin is that he can have multiple options to roll out with come opening day. Though the first-time head coach of the Hokies wishes to have a definitive starter by the end of fall camp, he's not bound by it, and he wants the competition to continue as long as possible in order to foster growth.

"Yeah, I would like it, but I don't know if we will [find an answer]," Franklin said. "And I also want to keep competition at every position as long as we possibly can, going into the season. I just think that's in everybody's best interest. Once you make that decision, you say that the second team and the third team guys should still be preparing like the starter, but it usually takes some time to get over that and then move on. So I'd like to keep it alive as long as we possibly can, not just at the quarterback position, but really in every position.

Franklin said he “would like” to have his QB pecking order established by spring, but would also like to keep the competition alive as long as he can
— Kolby Crawford (@kolby_crawford) March 31, 2026

"And the reality is, it's not like I have to say something, right? The guys see it, right? They kind of have an idea. I want multiple quarterbacks to take on a leadership role, but the players are going to listen to who they believe in, who they trust and who they respect. So it's not like we got to crown somebody for everybody to see it and feel it. The players got a pretty good idea."

Ethan Grunkemeyer (Penn State transfer) and Bryce Baker (UNC) appear to be the top two in the hunt, while Troy Huhn was mentioned by Franklin as having an outstanding scrimmage on Saturday. Per Franklin, the true freshman threw four touchdowns and one interception in the non-contact scrimmage.

"He's very calm; he's very poised, very smart," Franklin said of Huhn. "He works at it. He's wired the right way. I've been very impressed with him."

A.J. Brand was recently switched to wide receiver, leaving Virginia Tech with four quarterbacks: Grunkemeyer, Baker, Huhn and redshirt freshman Kelden Ryan, who is now the lone returnee from Virginia Tech's 2025 signal-caller room.

Franklin remarked that Brand is working out in both a receiver capacity, as well as a quarterback option for Wildcat-style plays.

But in terms of finding an answer for a definitive starter, the answer is by no means a known quantity yet.

No. 3: New — and old — contributors stand out among the defensive crop.

Pry spotlighted cornerback Kenny Woseley, who has stood out to the defensive coordinator at both the nickelback and corner positions. Stevens, a returning holdover from the 2025 defensive line, has also made his mark.

"You notice Aycen in each and every practice," Pry said. "His physicality, he's making plays beyond the line of scrimmage."

Safety Quentin Reddish, according to Pry, has bounced back well from his injury that cost him the majority of 2025.

"Everything I've seen at this point, I'm very happy with," Pry said of Reddish. "Right now, I'd rank him No. 1 at the safety position."

Then, there's Huhn, who as aforementioned, tossed four touchdowns in the Saturday scrimmage. Franklin remarked that he intends to put all the quarterbacks who have not engaged in live-game action — Baker, Huhn and Ryan — through a live, contact-allowed scrimmage.

No. 4: Jeff Overton has been incandescent in a tailback room encumbered by injuries.

Jeffrey Overton Jr. was the breakout star at the end of the 2025 season. After missing the first eight games when he was rehabbing from a torn ACL sustained during 2024 bowl prep, Overton compiled 146 rushing yards on 25 carries in his final four games of the season.

Overton logged 69 rushing yards on seven carries against Miami, tacking on his first career touchdown with a 38-yard burst to the outside. he then added on 53 rushing yards on 11 carries as the Hokies' season-finale starter vs. Virginia. Against Florida State two weeks prior, he also tallied a 36-yard reception.

This year, Overton is up to 205 pounds, up 27 pounds from his listed weight last season (178 lbs). Franklin remarked that he heard a lot of excitement about Overton from a plethora of faces. Per him, he can see why.

"He's quick, he's smart, he's tough, he's elusive," Franklin said. "Football smart. I think he also has a chance to be a receiving threat. The other guys, we're still evaluating, still working through some things. But I think Overton has kind of separated himself a little bit."

No. 5: As mentioned previously by Pry, he's back in his element.

According to both Pry himself and Franklin, the defensive coordinator turned head coach turned defensive coordinator again is back at home in familiar territory.

Despite being fired as the team's then-head coach on Sept. 14 — just over six and a half months ago — the adjustment has been seamless, in his own words.

"Obviously, working with Coach is, it's kind of seamless, almost, to be honest," Pry said. "It's amazing how you fall right back into it, and it feels so familiar. But also, the job is totally different, and you know the task every day. We stay incredibly busy. We stay on point.

"There's so much to get done, from installation, from recruiting, from film evaluation, that just before you know it, you're in the office at 6 a.m. at your desk, and before you know it, it's seven o'clock at night. Where did the day go? But so, it's been really good. Yeah, it hasn't felt awkward, hasn't felt new. Felt like kind of that's what I've been doing all along."