When Virginia Tech hired James Franklin as the Hokies new football coach back in November, you knew there was going to be some major roster turnover. That ended up being the case in terms of Class of 2026 recruits and the Transfer Portal.
There needed to be an overhaul as the 2025 roster was one of the worst ones in a while in Blacksburg. There needed to be more talent on the roster than there was. Let's be honest, there is nowhere to go but up, and it appears that the roster overhaul has been done.
Just how it works out remains to be seen, but Bill Connelly of ESPN believes the moves were good ones, as he ranked his favorite Transfer Portal classes.
ESPN is high on Virginia Tech's Transfer Portal class
There is a long way to go before we get to see the results of the offseason additions. The Hokies' spring game is next Saturday, then they have fall camp before the opener against VMI Labor Day Weekend. However, Connelly likes the turnover Franklin has done.
"James Franklin clearly had a plan. He wanted to upgrade Tech's raw talent level and added a number of young former blue-chippers -- many from Penn State, his former employer. But he also targeted pass-catching upgrades (I like both Brown and former Penn State tight end Luke Reynolds) and immediate help at cornerback, where newcomers Cam Chadwick (UConn) and White combined for seven picks and 16 breakups,'' wrote Connelly.
There is no doubt that Duke transfer wide receiver Que'Sean Brown and Penn State tight end transfer Luke Reynolds are going to be big pieces of the offense under new offensive coordinator Ty Howle. On the other side of the ball on defense, defensive coordinator Brent Pry has got some new players to work with, including Cam Chadwick, who could be a very underrated addition.
Franklin did have a plan, and we'll see if he executed it correctly. Regardless, a new roster should lead to better results in 2026.