Now that James Franklin has had an opportunity to put together his first Virginia Tech football roster after a full offseason, there a no shortage of players who could surprise in fall camp and make an appearance in the lineup sooner rather than later.
After he was hired in Blacksburg, Franklin went right to work flipping some of his Penn State Class of 2026 commits to Virginia Tech. He flipped almost a dozen of them, including wide receiver Davion Brown. On Sunday at Virginia Tech's Media Day, Franklin brought up the young receiver's name when asked about how the wide receiver depth is coming along behind Ayden Greene and Que'Sean Brown.
"Yeah, it's been good,'' Franklin said. "There's a number of guys, whether it is Snook Peterin or whether is Tyseer Denmark, (Davion "FatRat" Brown) is a guy that I think has flashed as a true freshman. I think there's a lot of guys talking about him and excited about him.''
There is not a lot of veteran depth at the position, but there are some young, promising players who could find themsleves in the lineup this season, making an impact. Brown and Snook Peterkin are two of them. However, Franklin isn't the only one high on Brown, as Billy Tucker from ESPN is high on him as well.
Davion Brown tabbed one ACC freshman who could make an impact in 2026
Tucker listed 10 incoming true freshmen who could crack their schools' lineup at some point and make an impact. Brown was listed and for good reason.
"There's no shortage of newcomers who could make a quick impact in Blacksburg. Brown is one of nearly a dozen former Penn State 2026 commits who followed James Franklin to Virginia Tech. Brown ranked No. 115 on the SC Next 300, and at 6-1, 202 pounds, has the kind of size and catch radius that could be impactful either on the boundary or in the red zone for a new-look Hokies passing offense. Brown can run, too. He has posted a 4.42 40, and his game speed has been clocked at over 21 mph,'' wrote Tucker.
Tucker isn't wrong about there being a shortage of newcomers who could make an impact this season in Blacksburg. If there is one thing that Virginia Tech fans are going to need to get used to is that young players are cracking the lineup earlier than some think under Franklin, which speaks to his ability to recruit.
Aside from Brown, it wouldn't be surprising to see Messiah Mickens get some carries in the backfield and some freshmen make somewhat of an impact on the defensive side of the ball. Again, one thing Hokies fans should get used to is young players playing early and often under Franklin, beginning in 2026.
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