Going into the 2026 season, there are a lot of unknowns when it comes to the Virginia Tech football team in Year 1 of James Franklin. There has been a lot of roster turnover for the Hokies after the 2025 season ended through the Transfer Portal and with incoming freshmen that, mainly the ones that Franklin flipped from Penn State to Virginia Tech after he was hired.
There was some key retention by Franklin on both sides of the ball, but there are a handful of new faces that fans are going to learn the names of real fast. Camp is less than a week old, but there are some players who have been impressive. With that said, here are three under-the-radar players who could turn some heads in 2026.
3 Virginia Tech transfer who could turn heads in 2026
Virginia Tech has Marcellous Hawkins and Jeffrey Overton, Jr. back, along with incoming freshman Messiah Mickens, but don't sleep on Louisiana transfer Bill Davis. The 5-foot-9, 228-pound Davis is built tough and will be a nightmare for opponents to bring down. Last season in 13 games, he rushed for 763 yards and six touchdowns for Louisiana. He will get plenty of carries for the Hokies and new offensive coordinator Ty Howle this fall. He is a perfect candidate to be a go-to player on short downs.
James Franklin made it known that he is looking for some wide receivers to step up behind Que'Sean Brown and Ayden Greene, the Hokies' top two targets. One player who could do that is Louisiana Tech transfer Marlion Jackson. Last season for the Bulldogs, he had 20 catches for 370 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Jackson is someone to keep an eye on as he is getting his first crack at impressing the coaching staff after missing spring practices.
If Jackson doesn't emerge as another target for quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who is the projected starter, then his former teammate in State College, Tyseer Denmark, could. He had just two catches for 17 yards last season, but there is a reason why Franklin recruited him to Penn State, and Denmark followed him to Virginia Tech. The Hokies have a very talented tight end room, and if they can get another wide receiver or two to step up, then their offense will have plenty of weapons for Howle to go to.
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