Going into the 2026 season under James Franklin, there are questions surrounding just how good the Virginia Tech football roster is. After Brent Pry was fired and James Franklin was hired, you knew there was going to be some roster turnover.
That was the case after Franklin was able to flip some of his Class of 2026 commits from Penn State to Virginia Tech. There was also talent added through the Transfer Portal to round out the 2026 roster after the Hokies got some key retention.
Just how all the pieces are going to fit together remains to be seen. Franklin and his staff, which also includes Pry as the defensive coordinator, got a look during spring practices, and work for the fall begins in a month. Before practices begin for the new season, Steve Lassan of Athlon Sports dropped his 'ACC Football 2026 All-Conference Team,' and it might surprise you with the breakdown as to who made the list for Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech has more returners than newcomers on the Athlon Sports 2026 All-Conference Team
Now, when the roster was put together for the upcoming season, you likely would have figured that there would be more newcomers on the All-Conference Team for the Hokies than returners. Well, that would have been wrong. In fact, the returners nearly doubled the newcomers. For reference, Lassan has 147 players on four teams. Here is a breakdown,
First Team: Luke Reynolds, TE
Second Team: Que'Sean Brown, WR
Second Team: Kemari Copeland, DL
Third Team: Marcellous Hawkins, RB
Third Team: Kaleb Spencer, LB
Third Team: Que'Sean Brown, PR
Fourth Team: Kyle Altuner, OL
Fourth Team: Isaiah Brown-Murray, CB
Fourth Team: John Love, K
Brown, who came over from Duke, was on two teams as a wide receiver and punt returner, while Reynolds, who followed Franklin from Penn State, is one of the only two newcomers who made the list. The list is returners.
What does that tell us? Well, for starters, Franklin did his homework with the rest of his staff and Pry in terms of targeting retention. Copeland is going to be a major key to the defensive line. Hawkins, when healthy, was a very good running back, and Spencer has been good since coming over from Miami. Altuner is one of the top linemen not only in Blacksburg, but also in the ACC, and should surprise many in 2026. Brown-Murray was a key to the secondary last year, and Love might be the best kicker in the conference.
Second, it proves that the coaching staff zeroed in on retaining players. Sure, could you make the case that Pry put together a decent roster? You could in some areas.
All in all, there is nowhere to go but up, but the roster is one that should surprise some with some of the returners. The ACC schedule is tough, but things might not be as bad roster-wise as some think.
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