After winning five of their first seven games, the Virginia Tech football team will begin what is a tough stretch of their final five games on Saturday night when they travel to play Dabo Swinney and Clemson in Death Valley.
This will be a matchup between James Franklin and Swinney, two veteran coaches. On Monday, Franklin met with the media for his weekly press conference and praised not only Swinney but also his former defensive coordinator, Tom Allen, who is now the Tigers' DC. On Monday night, Swinney made is weekly appearance on his talk show and he as is normal with coaches the week for a big matchup, he showered the Hokies with praise.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney showers Virginia Tech with praise ahead of showdown
Truth be told, Virginia Tech is a couple of missed field goals away from being 7-0 going into this matchup. However, in the overall big picture, you are what your record says you are. And that means the Hokies are a 5-2 team. Swinney knows that this will be a matchup that will be tough.
Clemson beat writer Chapel Fowler of The State Newspaper reported that Swinney, on his per-Virginia Tech radio show, showered the Hokies with praise. He said that Jeffrey Overton Jr. may be the best running back his club has seen this season, and Luke Reynolds is an "elite" tight end. He also noted how stout Brent Pry's front seven are.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on Virginia Tech: "This is a really good football team. Anybody can beat anybody in this league (ACC)." Says Hokies RB Jeffrey Overton Jr. "may be the best running back we've seen," VT TE Luke Reynolds is "elite" and they're "stout" on defense
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) October 20, 2026
Overton Jr. has been outstanding this season through the first seven games for Franklin, rushing for 613 yards and four touchdowns. He also has 219 receiving yards on 22 catches and a touchdown. Offensive coordinator Ty Howle has done a nice job of getting him the ball in different ways and allowing him to use his skill and speed in the open field to do some damage.
As for Reynolds, he is one of the nation's top tight ends who has become quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer's go-to guy when a big reception is needed. As for Grunkemeyer, he is one of the top signal callers in the ACC, and it'll be interesting to see how he plays in a tough environment on the road. It'll be different than playing at Boston College, Maryland, and California.
Virginia Tech's defense will also be tested going up a young quarterback in Tait Reynolds and a Tigers offense that has some future NFL players on it.
However, Swinney sounds impressed with Virginia Tech, also calling wide receiver/punt returner Que'Sean Brown "Waldo", meaning they need to know where he is all the time when he's on the field. The Duke transfer has become another weapon offensively for Howle.
One thing to remember going into this game is that Swinney and the Tigers got a first-hand look at Reynolds and Grunkemeyer last season when Penn State and Clemson played in the Pinstripe Bowl in New York. Grunkemeyer led the Nittany Lions to win that day and hopes to on Saturday night at Clemson. If there is one thing we've learned early this week, it's that both coaches respect each other, their programs, and are expecting a 60-minute battle on Saturday night.
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