What Has Fall Camp Indicated About Virginia Tech's 2026 Season?

Fall camp has offered early clues about Virginia Tech’s potential strengths and weaknesses entering 2026.

Virginia Tech Athletics

With the season opener against VMI drawing closer and closer, Virginia Tech has spent the past few weeks evaluating position battles, installing new systems and, perhaps most importantly, trying to establish what this team can realistically become in Year 1 under head coach James Franklin. While fall camp can only tell us so much, it has provided some useful answers.

Interestingly enough, I think what fall camp has indicated to us is the reinforcement of several perceived pre-camp strengths and concerns. There have been developments that should make Virginia Tech fans more optimistic about the upcoming season, but there have also been areas that remain question marks heading into the opener.

The biggest positive might be the quarterback room.

After quarterback play was one of the more frustrating aspects of Virginia Tech's 2025 season, the Hokies appear to have significantly more stability and talent at the position entering 2026. The addition of Ethan Grunkemeyer, combined with the continued development of the players already on the roster, has given Virginia Tech a quarterback room that looks much stronger than it did a year ago.

That does not automatically mean the Hokies will have elite quarterback play, but the ceiling at the position appears considerably higher. Grunkemeyer has shown enough during camp to reinforce my belief that Virginia Tech made a significant upgrade at the position. There is still plenty that needs to be proven once the games actually begin, but this is one area where the Hokies should enter the season feeling considerably better than they did a year ago.

The running back room is another position that has stood out.

Virginia Tech appears to have legitimate depth at running back with Marcellous Hawkins and Jeffrey Overton Jr. functioning as the 1-2 punch and Bill Davis, Tyler Mason and Messiah Mickens working behind them, which could become particularly important as the season progresses. Having multiple backs capable of contributing should allow the Hokies to keep players fresh while also giving the coaching staff flexibility in how it approaches different opponents.

The wide receivers room is one baked in both production and mystery. Ayden Greene (516 yards, three TDs at Virginia Tech in 2025) and Que'Sean Brown (846 yards, five TDs at Duke in 2025) give the room a stable 1-2 punch in some order, but behind them, the order for who picks up the third starting receiver job appears murky. Louisiana Tech transfer Marlion Jackson, who's accrued 753 receiving yards over the last three seasons with the Bulldogs, has the most experience, but returnee Takye Heath (200 yards in 2025), Penn State transfer Tyseer Denmark and redshirt freshman Luke Stuewe either have experience or have been some of the players lauded during fall camp.

True freshman Davion "FatRat" Brown has also drawn buzz for his speed and potential ability to contribute in the return game. How much Virginia Tech's wide receivers catch the ball, though, could be up to the tight end split; the Hokies brought in former five-star Luke Reynolds, who tallied 257 receiving yards last season for Penn State, while Benji Gosnell should see a larger role in the passing game again. Gosnell caught 32 catches for 341 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 2024.

If Virginia Tech can consistently run the football, control the clock and take pressure off its quarterback, it could give the Hokies a much better foundation offensively. There are reasons for optimism on that side of the ball, but the defensive side remains a mystery.

The Hokies entered camp with questions about the defense, particularly regarding whether the unit has enough depth and playmakers to consistently hold up against the ACC schedule. I don't think fall camp has done much to eliminate those concerns, though several players have stood out to me at points, most notably cornerback Jaquez White.

That does not mean Virginia Tech's defense is destined to struggle, but compared to the optimism surrounding the quarterback and running back rooms, there are simply more unanswered questions defensively.

Virginia Tech's 2026 schedule leaves very little room for error in the second half of the season. The Hokies will face several opponents capable of putting pressure on a defense — especially with SMU and Miami — and there will inevitably be games where the offense cannot simply score its way out of trouble. If the defense can take a meaningful step forward, Virginia Tech could find itself competing for a much better record than its 2025 campaign produced. If it cannot, the same issues that held the Hokies back last season could resurface.

The Hokies appear to be in a better position offensively, particularly at quarterback and running back. There is more depth in some important areas, and the roster appears better equipped to handle the demands of a full season, but there are still legitimate concerns on defense.

So, at the end of the day, I think fall camp has acted more as a reinforcement than a revelation. It has not completely changed the outlook for Virginia Tech's season. Instead, it has strengthened some of the reasons for optimism while also reminding us why expectations should remain measured.

Once VMI arrives in Blacksburg on Sept. 5, Virginia Tech will finally get the opportunity to turn all of those preseason observations into quantifiable data points. Until then, the best conclusion I can draw is that the Hokies look improved in some of the areas that needed the most attention, while the defense remains the biggest question standing between this team and a potential breakthrough season.