When Virginia Tech hired James Franklin as their next football coach, it was a move that excited the fanbase. It's a fanbase and program that has been waiting for a while for a coach with Franklin's résumé to turn them back into a national contender.
Franklin is left to turn around a program under Justin Fuente and Brent Pry that failed to live up to the expectations set by Frank Beamer. Since being hired in Blacksburg, the former Penn State coach has hit the ground running in terms of building his staff and roster turnover. What it ends up looking like remains to be seen on the field, but Adam Rittenberg of ESPN had a warning for the ACC when it comes to the Hokies.
ESPN sends the ACC warning about James Franklin and Virginia Tech
The roster turnover has brought in some key players, a lot from Penn State who played for Franklin in State College, while also retaining some key pieces from the 2025 roster. There is nowhere to go but up.
"I also expect James Franklin's former Penn State team to rise in 2026, but Virginia Tech certainly will improve on a 3-9 mark from last season. Franklin has had a head start on most new coaches in implementing his vision and had a solid portal haul, which included Penn State imports quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer and tight end Luke Reynolds. A favorable first-half schedule should help the Hokies build confidence and belief. Expect them to pull off one notable upset in November, too,'' Rittenberg wrote.
An upset in November? Why, yes, please! Let's take a look at who could be an upset candidate in the final month of the regular season. The Hokies have SMU on the road, Stanford at home, at Miami, and home for Virginia. There is a good chance that at least two of those games, if not three, where Virginia Tech will be an underdog. There certainly will be some opportunities for an upset or two.
The front portion of the schedule offers an opportunity for the Hokies to get some confidence early in the season and set themselves up for 2026. It will be vital for them to take advantage of that schedule and gain some momentum going into the second half of the season.