The Virginia Tech football team will begin the season on Saturday night at 7:30 under the lights at Lane Stadium against VMI. The long wait for the James Franklin era to begin is finally over.
Camp was interesting, as Franklin didn't name his starting quarterback until recently, and it was who everyone thought it would be: Penn State transfer Ethan Grunkemeyer. There were some other interesting depth chart decisions that Franklin didn't reveal at his weekly press conference, and he didn't release a depth chart.
However, Thursday night on Tech Talk Live, Franklin said that true freshman running back Messiah Mickens will be the No. 3 running back against VMI ahead of Tyler Mason, according to David Cunningham of Tech Sideline. Cunningham also reported that it will be a week-to-week battle. Also, Franklin said that former quarterback A.J. Brand is in two-deep at wide receiver. That will be a fascinating story if that happens all season long.
Virginia Tech sells out another game
Slowly but surely, Virginia Tech is selling out games, and it would be stunning if they didn't sell out every game. The school announced that they have already sold out the game at home on Oct. 17 against Georgia Tech.
Hokie Nation did it AGAIN.
— HokieSports (@hokiesports) September 1, 2026
Homecoming + Maroon Effect = SOLD OUT! 🦃🔥
➡️ https://t.co/h1In78WVv6#LetsGoHokies | @SeatGeek pic.twitter.com/BAlGXhBHCc
Selling out games should not be an issue. If fans showed up last season despite a dreadful 3-9 season, they'll show up again with Franklin on board. Now, it should be pointed out that Virginia Tech has not needed to give away tickets or use Costco to help sell tickets, as other schools need to do to announce a sellout. It's just different in Blacksburg.
More Virginia Tech Hokies News
- Trailing 1-0 at halftime on the road at Penn State on Thursday night, the Virginia Tech women's soccer team rallied to tie the game in the 85th minute on a Gabby Ciocca goal to earn a 1-1 tie in State College. At 4-0-3, the Hokies will host Illinois on Sunday at Thompson Field at noon.
- The Hokies volleyball team dropped a 3-0 match on Thursday night at Winthrop as part of the Winthrop Invitational. At 2-2, the Hokies will play Old Dominion on Friday night in their second and final match this weekend.
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