The Hokies gear up for the 2026 season, looking to vastly improve on their 3-9 2025 mark.
Virginia Tech football gears up for its 2026 season, a campaign where the aspirations are firmly dialed in to return the program to its glory years. This year, the Hokies are led by a new head whistle: James Franklin.
The former Penn State head coach was fired by the Nittany Lions after a 3-3 start last year, and he officially joined Virginia Tech on Nov. 17.Franklin amassed a 128-60 record in his time as a coach. He began his time as a head coach in 2011 at Vanderbilt, tallying a pair of nine-win seasons in 2012 and 2013. Following that, he moved to Penn State in 2014, where the program finished in the top four of the Big Ten conference standings for 10 consecutive seasons . In 2024, the season before Franklin's firing, the Nittany Lions went 13-3 and made it to the College Football Playoff semifinals before losing to Notre Dame, 27-24. However, midway through the season, when the Nittany Lions sustained back-to-back-to-back losses against Oregon , UCLA and Northwestern , Franklin was dismissed. Penn State lost its next three games after Franklin's firing, though it ended the season on a four-game winning streak, with quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer steadying the ship. Grunkemeyer will suit up for Virginia Tech this season and is likely to be the Hokies' QB1."Analysis: Virginia Tech opened at 7.5 wins at FanDuel Sportsbook earlier this month, but that total has since been taken down . We'll leave it there for the time being until oddsmakers make a switch ahead of James Franklin's first season on the sideline. The former Penn State coach was promised considerable resources -- at least more than the previous coach and current defensive coordinator Brent Pry received -- and has a 27-player portal haul he feels confident about.This isn't a rebuild for the Hokies and shouldn't be viewed as such. Virginia Tech expects to compete at the top of the conference this season, and there's a realistic chance it happens. Pick: Over 7.5."Virginia Tech has two main games of interest: First, there is the spring game, which will take place on Saturday, April 18, at 3 p.m. ET, with admission free to all who attend. The Hokies' season will kick off in earnest on Saturday, Sept. 5, when the team hosts VMI in the two schools' first meeting since 1984. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.Hughes serves as Virginia Tech On SI's lead editor, a position he has held since July 2025. He is a sophomore at Virginia Tech, majoring in multimedia journalism with a minor in creative writing. Hughes is also the assistant editor-in-chief for 3304 Sports, as well as an on-air talent for 3304's SportsCenter-style studio show. He is also a staff writer for Steering Wheel Nation, having written pieces on several motorsport series, including Formula 1 and the NTT IndyCar Series.Evaluating Virginia Tech's 2026 Win Total Projection, Schedule, Roster Changes
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