Virginia Tech Stock Report: Three Players Rising After Week 1's 73-3 Victory Over VMI
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BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech football is 1-0 in 2026 and in the James Franklin era. Seventy-three points later, the Hokies claimed a uber-dominant 70-point win over VMI at home. Here are the three players I think boosted their stock the most at Saturday's opener.
1-0.
— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) September 6, 2026
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No. 1: WR Que'Sean Brown
Brown finished the day with a game-high 109 receiving yards on six receptions — a total that could have been higher had two deep-ball throws from quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer been right on the money. Still, for his first real game in Blacksburg, Saturday was about as good a start as one could have hoped for.
Brown's 109 yards were the second-most in his career, only trailing his 10-catch, 178-yard performance against Arizona State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl in 2025.
"He's not the biggest guy in the world, but he is explosive," Franklin said. "One of the fastest guys that we have in our program. We've got to continue to get him the ball in space. He's a physical blocker, and he's got a chance to be an explosive returner for us, as well."
Per Franklin, Brown cramped up in the first half, causing him to miss several series. In Franklin's eyes, Brown also could have logged another 100 yards if not for the two missed deep throws.
"We'll get those cleaned up and hit them in the future," the head coach said.
No. 2: RB Jeffrey Overton Jr.
Overton accumulated a team-high 104 yards off nine carries, setting a new career high. The sophomore rushed for 11.6 yards a carry, reaching the end zone twice. Virginia Tech's first drive culminated in a 50-yard house call that Overton took around the left.
"We think we got a one-two punch that we had a lot of confidence coming into camp and throughout camp, but you never truly know until you get in the game," Franklin said.
Overton's two touchdowns also set a career record in a single game; the sophomore burst onto the scene late last year with 146 yards in the final four games of the year after rehabbing from an ACL injury. Overton and Marcellous Hawkins (69 yards) combined for 173 net rushing yards and five touchdowns.
"He's a great running back," Hawkins said of Overton. "I feel like to have a great offense, you've got to have those two complementary running backs that complement each other differently."
No. 3: QB Bryce Baker
Baker made his first snaps at the collegiate level, completing 10 of his 12 passes for 127 yards and a score. The UNC transfer avoided any pitfalls, steering the ship after Ethan Grunkemeyer left with Virginia Tech up 52-0. Grunkemeyer himself was 17-for-20 for 224 yards, but Baker acquitted himself well, being the only other of Virginia Tech's signal-callers to see playing time. Neither Kelden Ryan nor Troy Huhn played; both were on the scout team this past week.
Baker kept things clean, completing his first eight passes — including a 40-yard deep ball that settled into Chanz Wiggins' hands for Baker's first college touchdown and Wiggins' first catch and touchdown.
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Hughes serves as Virginia Tech On SI's lead editor, a position he has held since July 2025. He is a sophomore at Virginia Tech, majoring in multimedia journalism with a minor in creative writing. Hughes is also the assistant editor-in-chief for 3304 Sports, as well as an on-air talent for 3304's SportsCenter-style studio show. He is also a staff writer for Steering Wheel Nation, having written pieces on several motorsport series, including Formula 1 and the NTT IndyCar Series.
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