Virginia Tech's Recruiting Efforts Inspiring Swagger — And Hope

Virginia Tech's recent recruiting success is sparking optimism.

Virginia Tech Athletics

Virginia Tech football's bid for a top-end ACC squad looks closer by a noticeable margin than in previous years, thanks to the introduction of new Hokies head coach James Franklin. The 11-year-plus head whistle at Penn State compiled a 128-60 record at the helm of the Nittany Lions, and in his final full season, he led Penn State to a 13-3 season that ended in the College Football Playoff semifinals with a 27-24 loss to runners-up Notre Dame.

Franklin's entrance into Virginia Tech has ushered in a renaissance on the recruiting front — a class that currently ranks No. 8 on 247Sports, No. 14 on ESPN and No. 18 on On3. It's a new dawn for the Hokies — and one that has the assistant coaches bullish on where the program can go long-term in which players it can aspire to sign.

"We get [recruits] on campus, and we know we've got a chance to compete against anybody," safeties coach Anthony Midget said. "SEC, you name the top schools in the country, that's the expectation, that's the standard. It's not like we're shying away from anybody."

"It's not just on the field; it's how the building should look, it's how your office should look, it's how you present to parents," said wide receivers coach Fontel Mines. "Everything is first class, and everything is big time, and that's how we're going to operate, that's how we're going to move."

Virginia Tech hasn't claimed every prospect it wants, though. Five-star defensive edge Chris Whitehead, the top player in the state of Virginia in the 2027 class, picked LSU over the Hokies and South Carolina. Yet, the fact that Virginia Tech is even in a discussion — and after a 3-9 season, no less — speaks to the aroma of change that has permeated throughout the atmosphere of Blacksburg.

"There's probably a couple kids returning calls that probably hadn't returned calls in the past," Mines said.

It is a new dawn. Whether that dawn brings about the reinassance of the Hokies themselves on the field is yet to be determined. Whether the dawn results in Franklin sticking around as the long-term head coach of the Hokies — or him simply sticking around for a few years before leaving for another squad — is yet to be determined.

Little is set in (Hokie) stone; Franklin has not played a single game, yet. But at least by the recruiting efforts, the project of rebuilding Virginia Tech appears to be off to the start that it needs to be.

Franklin's 4-21 record against teams in the AP Top 10 sparks concern about how the Hokies will perform against the highest echelon of competition. Yet, the ACC has fallen behind both the SEC and the Big Ten in the pecking order, with Miami seeming to be the only concrete team that can claim a spot in this year's College Football Playoff. Virginia Tech may not need to worry about how Franklin coaches in big games, because there's not that many that they'll be suiting up for. Let's take a look at the first four games:

Virginia Tech draws VMI, a squad that went 1-11 each of the last two years, to open the campaign. It then plays Old Dominion, a program without its 2025 quarterback (Colton Joseph; he transferred to Wisconsin). Maryland is next up on the docket; the Terrapins went 4-8 (1-8 Big Ten) and lost their final eight games of the season. Then, it's Boston College, which went 2-10 (1-7 ACC) in 2025.

Virginia Tech hasn't won an out-of-conference Power Four game since the 2017 season, but if there's a year to buck that trend, this year may be the one to do it. The Hokies will field a presumably stronger roster, bolstered by the efforts they have made in the transfer portal and in high school recruiting.

Back to the contests: Virginia Tech's second half of the 2026 season is undoubtedly far tougher than its first. The Hokies draw Clemson, SMU and Miami — all on the road — and they host Virginia in the final game of the regular season. The Cavaliers have not historically produced success under head coach Tony Elliott, though last year's breakout 10-3 campaign offers hope that Virginia can contend.

But Clemson went 7-6 last year. SMU was involved in a four-way tie for second place in the league, and it bottled its CFP chances with a 38-35 loss to California in the final week of the regular season. Miami is the preeminent force in the ACC as of now, but it went 10-2 last year, and in 2024, Virginia Tech nearly upset the Hurricanes. That year, Miami missed the College Football Playoff largely due to a 42-38 loss to Syracuse in the regular-season finale.

That is not to say Virginia Tech's back-half opponents are not formidable; they are. It is to say, however, that they are potentially vulnerable.

While it's yet to be seen whether the Hokies' own efforts will morph into actual results, it feels like Virginia Tech is on the right path. Now, it's just time for the games to be played.