There is a lot of excitement surrounding the Virginia Tech football team going into the 2026 season. It is very understandable as to why. Some seismic changes were made in the last year. Mainly, James Franklin being named head coach tops the list.
However, don't overlook the additions of some key players from the Transfer Portal and the incoming Class of 2026. The shape of the roster has changed, and there has been a lot of turnover. The Athletic listed the biggest addition to each Power 4 program and the Hokies was an intersting one.
The Athletic drops interesting name as Virginia Tech's top newcomer for the 2026 season
Now that the dust has settled on the new season and new era, The Athletic listed Franklin as Virginia Tech's biggest newcomer to the program from last year. In the overall big picture, you can't say that you're shocked that this is the way they decided to go. It would have been easy and understandable to list quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer as the biggest newcomer, or even tight end Luke Reynolds. What about corner back Jaquez White?
Some might see it as an easy out to pick Franklin, but given where the program has gone in the last decade and how far it has fallen, it's a rather easy pick. In this day and age of college football, it's all about coaching, and after Justin Fuente and Brent Pry's tenures, Hokies will welcome Franklin with open arms. Why?
Well, if Franklin can do what he did at Vanderbilt and Penn State with Virginia Tech, he will be waking up a sleeping giant that the rest of college football will not be ready for. His track record speaks for itself. Sure, his trolls from his previous stops are going to point to certain things that happened in State College, but again, if they take a step back and see where the program was when he was hired and where it was when he left, well, it's night and day. He was one win away from playing in the National Championship two years ago.
Is Franklin perfect? No, but I hate to tell Penn State fans; neither is Matt Campbell. In fact, even the best coaches will admit that they are not perfect. A lot of fans from outside the Hokies program need to take a step back and realize where the Virginia Tech program was and what it fell to. When Virginia Tech is really good, college football is that much better, as much as a lot of fans outside of Blacksburg don't want to admit it.
There are a lot of newcomers who are ready to make a big impact in Blacksburg in 2026, and it starts with James Franklin.
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