What I'm Watching Closely During Virginia Tech Fall Camp

Fall camp is nearly here, which means the biggest questions surrounding Virginia Tech's 2026 season are soon to start being answered. After a disappointing 3-9 campaign in 2025, the Hokies enter a new era under James Franklin with a roster that looks significantly different thanks to an aggressive transfer portal approach and several returning players expected to take major steps forward.

While plenty of attention will be placed on the team's new additions, fall camp is where position battles are won, rotations are established and breakout candidates begin to separate themselves. Here are the biggest storylines I'll be watching closely over the next few weeks.

The biggest storyline of fall camp is obvious: quarterback play.

Virginia Tech brought in Ethan Grunkemeyer from Penn State to lead the offense, and expectations are high for the former four-star recruit. Grunkemeyer gained valuable experience last season when he stepped into the starting role for the Nittany Lions, completing 123-of-178 passes (69.1%) for 1,339 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions over seven starts. He also helped Penn State close the season with a four-game winning streak.

Now, he has to translate that experience into a new offense with a new supporting cast. The Hokies have upgraded the skill positions around him, adding weapons like wide receiver Que'Sean Brown and tight end Luke Reynolds, but everything starts with whether Grunkemeyer can consistently move the football.

Virginia Tech's wide receiver room has arguably undergone the biggest transformation heading into 2026. The Hokies added Brown, who is expected to be one of the team's top targets after producing 56 receptions for 846 yards and six touchdowns at Duke in 2025. They also brought in Tyseer Denmark and Jeff Exinor Jr. from Penn State, giving the staff two options who already understand Franklin's system. Ayden Greene also returns after leading the Hokies in receiving yards (516), receptions (31) and receiving touchdowns (three) last season.

However, fall camp will determine how the rotation behind those two develops. Returners like Chanz wiggins and Brodie Adams have opportunities to earn meaningful snaps, and the Hokies need multiple receivers to emerge if they want to maximize Grunkemeyer's potential.

Meanwhile, Virginia Tech's defensive front enters the season with one proven star in Kemari Copeland. The redshirt senior started all 12 games in 2025 and recorded 48 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, earning preseason All-ACC recognition.

The question is who can consistently win next to him. Elhadj Fall is expected to take on a larger role; he recorded 25 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two quarterback hurries and a blocked field goal in 2025. If Fall can provide interior disruption, Virginia Tech could have one of the stronger defensive lines in the ACC.

The final thing I'll be watching is how the running back room develops.

Marcellous Hawkins is expected to receive a major workload, but Jeffrey Overton Jr. is one of the most intriguing young players on the roster. After missing the first eight games of the season to injury, Overton appeared in eight games as a freshman in 2025 and rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, averaging 5.8 yards per attempt.

If Overton takes another step, Virginia Tech could have a much deeper backfield than it did a season ago. Fall camp does not determine a season, but it often reveals the foundation of one. For a Virginia Tech team trying to erase the memories of 2025, these next few weeks will provide the first real glimpse at whether the Hokies are ready to take a meaningful step forward.

The Hokies' 2026 season starts in just over a month on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m. ET, against VMI. The game is set to be broadcast on the ACC Network and will be the first matchup between the two schools since 1984.

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