After Indiana beat Miami, 27-21, to win the National Championship on Monday night in South Florida. Now that a champion has been crowned, it's time to turn the page to the 2026 season. It's going to be eight long months before football returns, but it will be eight long months for Virginia Tech fans.
The Hokies hired James Franklin in November, following his firing at Penn State in October, and Virginia Tech will have a significantly different look when the season begins in 2026. They will have a new-look roster, along with a new coaching staff, which will include a familiar face in Brent Pry, who will join Frankin again as a defensive coordinator.
One thing that never gets old after the National Championship Game is the annual Way-too-early-Top 25's for the following season. This year, there is a lot of love for Virginia Tech in Year 1 under Franklin.
Virginia Tech showered with love in Way-too-early-Top 25 for 2026 season
After the Hoosiers win over the Hurricanes, it didn't take long for various outlets to drop their way-too-early-Top 25 for next season. Virginia Tech was in a handful of polls.
CBS Sports: Virginia Tech No. 25
"Best hire of the coaching carousel? Best transfer class in Virginia Tech history? James Franklin pulled 12 of his players away from Penn State and added four-star Duke receiver Que'Sean Brown. In the wide open ACC, I'll side with one of the more consistent coaches in college football, lifting the Hokies back in the mix,'' wrote Brandon Marcello
Yahoo Sports: Virginia Tech No. 20
"We’re already bullish on the quick turnaround James Franklin can engineer in Blacksburg. He’s brought over a host of transfers from Penn State, including QB Ethan Grunkemeyer and TE Luke Reynolds along with CB Jaquez White from Troy and edge rusher Javion Hilson from Missouri,'' wrote Nick Bromberg.
FanSided: Virginia Tech No. 22
"They’ve always called Blacksburg the Happy Valley of Virginia, right? James Franklin has brought a ton of the former Penn State roster along with him to Virginia Tech, which might sound worrisome given the Nittany Lions’ struggles last season, but should be exciting for Hokies fans. Much like was the case at Penn State, we’ll have to see how high Virginia Tech can climb under this new regime, but it’s a clear upgrade for this program overall,'' wrote Cody Williams.
As you can see, big things are expected and possible in Blacksburg next season under Franklin. It's been a long time coming. On3 had the Hokies as one of two ACC teams ranked for next (Miami was No. 9, Virginia Tech was No. 23).