When it was announced back in the spring that quarterback AJ Brand was making the move to wide receiver, it may have caught some people by surprise, but not as many as you might think. Given the fact that new coach James Franklin brought in Penn State transfer Ethan Grunkemeyer, Bryce Baker from North Carolina and true freshman Troy Huhn, playing time was going to be tough to come by.
Brand made the move to the outside, and despite making it, he can still be a valuable piece of the offense in different roles. One of those roles is against VMI on Saturday night in the season-opening 73-3 win over the Keydets; Brand came in and lined up in the wildcat in the fourth quarter and scored on a 1-yard run. What does Franklin think of Brand's future?
"He's still raw as a receiver, but he's got some God-given talents and abilities that you can't necessarily teach,'' said Franklin. "When he's got the ball in his hands, he can make things happen. He did it against our defense all spring and a little bit in summer camp, as well.... I think he's got a very, very bright future."
Virginia Tech sells out ODU game
When the dust settles on the 2026 season, it would be stunning if the Hokies didn't sell out all six home games in Franklin's first season. They took another step in attempting to achieve that goal on Tuesday when they announced that the game this weekend against Old Dominion is sold out.
This is a rather big revenge game for new defensive coordinator Brent Pry, who was fired after a 45-26 Monarchs beatdown last season at Lane Stadium in Week 3, and anyone else who was on the team. That loss began the process of finding a new head coach and having Franklin fall into the Virginia Tech search committee's lap after he was fired at Penn State in October. Everything works out for a reason.
More Virginia Tech Hokies News
- Fresh off a 1-1 tie at North Carolina State on Saturday night to open ACC play, the Hokies men's soccer team will host East Tennessee State University on Wednesday night in a non-conference match at 6 p.m. The Hokies will return to ACC play on Sunday at 6 when they host Wake Forest.
- The Hokies volleyball team will hit the road for Northwestern for the Northwestern Invitational after splitting a pair of matches in the Winthrop Invitational last weekend. Virginia Tech, which is 3-2, will play Northwestern on Friday, Wisconsin-Green Bay on Saturday, and LIU on Sunday.
- Hokies baseball coach John Szefc picked up a pair of commitments in the Class of 2028 from Ryan Waddell and Dominic Webb. Those are two huge pickups for Virginia Tech.
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