One of the biggest, if not the biggest, offseasons in Virginia Tech history is well underway with new coach James Franklin. When the school fired Brent Pry back in September, little did Virginia Tech, the fanbase, or the search committee know that their replacement was going to fall into their lap.
Penn State fired Franklin in October, and a week before Thanksgiving, he was hired to replace his former defensive coordinator with the Nittany Lions. Right after he was hired, Franklin hit the ground running in recruiting in the Class of 2026 and flipped nearly a dozen commits from Penn State to Virginia Tech. Then, when the Transfer Portal opened in January, there was a roster overhaul that saw some former players at Penn State follow Franklin and some other coaches to Virginia Tech.
All of those moves didn't go unnoticed across college football. They also didn't go unnoticed by Craig Haubert and Billy Tucker of ESPN. They ranked the Hokies high in their rankings of the newest incoming players at all schools.
ESPN ranks Virginia Tech inside Top 20 in terms of incoming players for 2026
ESPN ranked Virginia Tech 16th in terms of upgrades and potential impact players in the program. Some transfers got some big playing time at their previous stop, which will help, as well as some incoming freshmen who could make an impact as early as this coming fall.
Some of the transfers that are going to come in and make a difference this season are quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, tight end Luke Reynolds, and wide receiver Que'Sean Brown.
"Virginia Tech's portal class is built for instant, scheme‑fit upgrades. Grunkemeyer is a rhythm/timing passer who finished strong at Penn State. He threw for 1,348 yards and had nine total touchdowns in 2025, and his arm strength, pocket instincts and competitiveness should immediately stabilize the Hokies' quarterback room. Reynolds is a prototypical H/TE mismatch (35 catches, 368 yards at Penn State) who finds seams against zone defenses, wins jump balls and blocks enough to be trusted inline on play‑action and heavy personnel packages. Brown is a quick slot and return weapon who turns short throws into explosive gains with soft hands and elite body control (105 career catches, 1,291 yards, seven touchdowns),'' wrote ESPN.
It is only going to be a matter of time before Franklin and Virginia Tech battle for the top spot in the ACC, but with a tough schedule in terms of ACC games and travel in 2026, it wouldn't be surprising if the Hokies are a team that makes some noise.