Change happens every year in college football to everyone's roster, but when you have a coaching change that Virginia Tech had, you knew there was going to be huge roster turnover. Especially when James Franklin was hired as the next head coach.
That was the case as the former Penn State coach, who saw some major turnover with the roster from players leaving through the Transfer Portal, players coming in through the portal, as well as some incoming freshmen in the Class of 2026. NIL is playing a big role in college sports, and Virginia Tech is making more of a bigger commitment to football. With that said, here are the three best players that NIL has brought to Blacksburg.
QB: Ethan Grunkmeyer
There was a big need for a quarterback after Kyron Drones used up all of his eligibility, and Pop Watson and Garret Rangel hit the portal. There were a couple of names that surfaced, and one of them was Penn State signal caller Ethan Grunkemeyer. Franklin and QB coach Danny O'Brien stayed patient and landed him in January. He is the expected starter, and after getting his feet wet with the Nittany Lions last season after Drew Allar was hurt, he brings experience to Blacksburg.
TE: Luke Reynolds
Another Penn State transfer is tight end Luke Reynolds. The Massachusetts native is expected to come in and make a big impact at a position that has been underused in recent seasons. That's all about to change with the new offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Ty Howle following Franklin to Virginia Tech. Reynolds projects out to be an NFL tight end and a big weapon for Grunkemeyer this fall.
WR: Que'Sean Brown
Duke won the ACC Championship Game against Virginia in December, and one reason why the Blue Devils were even in that game was because of wide receiver Que'Sean Brown. The sophomore from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, finished the 2025 season with 64 catches for 846 yards and five touchdowns. He had 10 catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns in a Sun Bowl win over Arizona State on New Year's Eve afternoon. He is expected to make a big impact and give Grunkemeyer more options, along with Ayden Greene, who was retained by the new staff.
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