Halfway through the 2026 season, the Virginia Tech football team is 4-2, which is right where some fans thought they might be. However, how they got there is the most frustrating part of it. The Hokies have lost their last two games by a total of seven points to Pittsburgh and California.
James Franklin and his team will look to snap their two-game losing streak this weekend at home against Georgia Tech. With six games remaining in the season, let's hand out grades for the first six games of the Franklin era in Blacksburg.
Virginia Tech football report card at the halfway point of the 2026 season
Penn State transfer Ethan Grunkemeyer has established himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the ACC. He has thrown for 1,734 yards so far with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. Both of those were against Pittsburgh, one his fault and the other on a very questionable ruling. He has been as advertised through his first six games.
Jeffrey Overton Jr. and Marcellous Hawkins Jr. have been a good duo this season for offensive coordinator Ty Howle, with Overton Jr. having a couple of breakout games. He has 528 yards and four touchdowns this season while averaging just under 6 yards per carry. Hawkins Jr. quietly has 283 yards on the ground with five touchdowns on 70 carries. The running game hasn't been a problem this season for Howle.
Que'Sean Brown has been a great addition from the portal from Duke, and Ayden Greene, when healthy, has made some very big catches. He had over 60 yards on one drive against Cal last weekend, which led to a touchdown to open the scoring in the second quarter. Marlion Jackson has made some big catches, and Davion Brown is a young star in the making. A few more big plays from this group will be beneficial.
One position that has been consistent this season has been the tight end position. Penn State transfer Luke Reynolds has been the best player aside from Grunkemeyer on offense, and his draft stock is skyrocketing up the draft board. Benji Gosnell has been good, as has Ja'Ricous Hairston. Whenever Grunkemeyer needs a completion, he goes to Reynolds, and he usually comes up big.
This has been a tough group, to say the least. Sure, injuries have been a big part of the season, and that has caused a lot of players to play out of place. When the running game has struggled, it's been because the holes along the line are not opening big enough. Grunkemeyer has been under pressure too much, but he still has had a good season. Matt Moore needs to figure things out along the line as soon as possible.
As expected, this group has been good all season long. Kemari Copeland has been as good as advertised, and Aycen Stevens has been good. Aside from California, they have been getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks and will need to continue that going forward. This is certainly the strength of the Hokies' defense this season.
This group hasn't been bad considering how easily the secondary has been getting burned. Kaleb Spencer, Keon Wylie and Noah Chambers are playing well and making some plays, but as a whole, the defense needs to start forcing more turnovers. Opportunities have been there; they're just not making the plays to get off the field. Getting some beginning Saturday would be a nice way to kick off the second half of the season.
Not much to say here. This group might be the most disappointing one, and expect the six remaining opponents to test it early and often. They don't have a turnover against a Power 4 Conference school this season, and they are getting called for way too many pass interference penalties. If this position doesn't get fixed, it's going to be a long last six games.
For a program that prides itself on special teams, it's been a dumpster fire this season. Let's start with John Love. Once seen as a reliable kicker, he has missed three straight and is a big reason why the Hokies are not 6-0 at the halfway point. As for punting, Nathan Totten has 20 punts and is averaging just 41.1 yards per kick. There is a reason why Franklin is going to have competitions for both kickers this week in practice. They were also burned for a key fake punt against Cal that gained 29 yards up the middle. That can't happen.
This might seem harsh for a team that is just three missed field goals away from being undefeated, but there is more to it than that. Pry's defense has been eaten alive on the back end, and there has been very little in terms of adjustments. Howle has had some very questionable play calls at times, and while not everything that has happened can fall on Franklin, there is something to be said about the lack of adjustments across the board at times.
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