Breaking down takeaways through the Hokies' first week of spring practice.
Now over a week into spring ball, Virginia Tech is beginning to separate early impressions from reality. While much remains unsettled, head coach James Franklin has offered insight into where things stand — and, where they don't.
Here's what to buy — and sell — as spring practice rolls on.Franklin announced on Tuesday that the former quarterback will be moving to wideout ahead of the 2026 season. Brand was a four-year starter under center at Irmo High School in South Carolina, but with the Hokies adding quarterbacks Bryce Baker and Ethan Grunkemeyer through the transfer portal this offseason, the path to the field shifted — and so did his position. "He's too good of an athlete," Franklin said. "Right now, where he was at on the depth chart, we had a conversation with him and his father that it was my opinion and our opinion that this was in his best interest." Brand had over 2,000 rushing yards in his senior year of high school, adding 27 rushing touchdowns and averaging 11.5 yards per carry. He was named the 2024 South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year, and his athleticism should translate naturally to wide receiver. "I think the biggest thing is how dynamic A.J. is," said Hokies offensive coordinator Ty Howle. "He can help compete in room, and he did a really nice job today. Tech added both Que'Sean Brown and Marlion Jackson to the wideout room via the transfer portal this offseason, and 2025 leading receiver Ayden Greene is returning for his senior year. Still, there remains plenty of opportunity for Brand. His agility and explosiveness could allow him to play all over the field. "There's a chance down the road we could do some wild Hokie stuff with him," Franklin said. "He's still a part of the offense. He's on the field, and he's got a skill set with the ball in his hands."Along with Brand's position switch, the Hokies feel confident in their ability to field a strong special teams unit in 2026, specifically in the kicking game. "We got some kickers," Franklin said. "I know that's not like the sexy position you guys want to talk about, but we got some kickers." Hokies kicker John Love will return for his redshirt senior season in 2026. Love converted all 25 of his extra point attempts in 2025 and went 15-of-20 on field goals with a season long of 56 yards. Love's brother, freshman Will Love, committed to Tech in April of 2025 and will add immediate competition to the kicking room. Will Love was a four-year starter at Spartanburg High School in South Carolina and was named a 2025 Maxwell Football Club High School All-American. He was ranked the top kicker in the 2026 class by"We went out the first day, and we had three kickers all make big-time kicks," Franklin said. "That was impressive, right? That's points, obviously, that's points. So that's probably something, the depth and the talent." Franklin has placed a clear emphasis on special teams this spring, incorporating it into competitive end-of-practice situations. "We typically will do a field goal to end for push-ups or running, a punt to end it, or a kickoff to end it," Franklin said. " Typically some type of special teams to end it."Many assumed that when Grunkemeyer committed to Tech in January, he would project as the immediate starter in 2026." has been good," Franklin said. "Every rep is like gold. The reality is, it's hard to get all those guys reps. We've got to come out of this spring feeling really good about our No. 1 and our No. 2, and we got to feel really good about the possibility of a three in the future. When I say our No. 1 and our No. 2, we got to feel at the end of the spring, we got two guys to go into training camp that legitimately can compete for the starting job and that we can win games with." "Small sample size," Howle said. "They've done a nice job just meeting with Coach O'Brien and us, picking up the system and running the show out there, communicating. Been really impressed with all those things. Obviously, they all have really good arm talent. ...It'll be a competition for a while until we get under these lights, and we'll see who steps up." Aside from Baker and Grunkemeyer, Tech's quarterback room consists of redshirt freshman Kelden Ryan and true freshman Troy Huhn, who flipped his commitment from Penn State to the Hokies in December to follow Franklin. While Grunkemeyer may be the favorite, the coaching staff's emphasis on reps and competition suggests that the gap between quarterbacks is small enough for the competition to linger into the fall. With several quarterbacks in the mix, the battle feels far from over.The College Football Playoff’s Future Rests on the Big Ten. Will Tony Petitti Compromise?
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