When Virginia Tech quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer committed to the Hokies, it was a foregone conclusion that he was going to be James Franklin's starter coming Sept. 5 against VMI at Lane Stadium.
Heck, ESPN compounded the fact that Grunkemeyer was going to be the starter by dropping a story this week about Missouri transfer Beau Pribula visiting in Blacksburg when news broke that Grunkemeyer was coming from State College.
Talk about interesting timing, no? Anyway, the Hokies are going to have a very, very young quarterback room in 2026 with Grunkemeyer, North Carolina transfer Bryce Baker, returner Kelden Ryan, and true freshman Troy Huhn. It isn't surprising that Franklin is calling it a competition, but let's be serious: unless there is an injury that hasn't been disclosed, we all know who will be under center when the Franklin era begins in 14 days.
James Franklin has yet to announce starting QB for 2026 season
We are closing in quickly on the Hokies' first game week of the upcoming season. Sooner or later, Franklin will announce who his starter is, but on Friday, he continued to play poker with the media and fans about who his starting signal caller will be.
"It's still a competition, and we've still got a lot of work to do between now and our first game," Franklin said.
In the overall big picture, it really isn't a big deal that Franklin has yet to announce a starter for the 2026 campaign. Again, unless there is an injury, it'll be Grunkemeyer. The one big question surrounding the Ohio native will be whether he can continue to grow under Franklin and quarterback coach Danny O'Brien in Blacksburg.
Franklin did mention that the room is a deep one, and if needed, there would be no concerns about going to anyone. That is music to fans' ears, as there hasn't been depth like that to make fans feel good if something ever happened.
Last season, Grunkemeyer came on in relief of Drew Allar at Penn State when the latter was injured in the middle of the season. He finished the season with 1,339 yards and eight touchdowns for the Nittany Lions. He showed progress throughout the season, and if he can carry that over to Virginia Tech, then the Hokies just might surprise many in 2026. Rest easy, fans; it'll be Grunkemeyer, and it'll be official sooner rather than later.
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