A Culture of Competition

James Franklin has said it so many times it's nearly a slogan: Virginia Tech won the offseason. Three weeks into his first fall camp, the more revealing message is the one he keeps repeating instead: everything is new, and nobody's job is safe.

That's the tell, Sports Illustrated reports. The talent haul was never the vision; the vision is what he's doing to it. Franklin came to Blacksburg with a 128-60 career record and 12 years at Penn State behind him, hired 36 days after the Nittany Lions fired him in October, per Sports Illustrated. He inherited a 3-9 roster and rebuilt it, adding more than two dozen transfers, including a dozen who followed him from Penn State. On paper, a shortcut. In camp, the opposite—he's making a team full of his own recruits act like they've earned nothing.

The quarterback position is the clearest case. Ethan Grunkemeyer transferred in from Penn State, knows the offense cold, and is the clear favorite to start Week 1, with the Hokies already naming him a team captain, Sports Illustrated reports. Yet Franklin still won't name him the starter. He's told reporters he won't settle any job until close to game week, wanting players competing right up to the opener. He's also said the locker room already knows who the starter is, which makes the public silence a choice, not a puzzle. The competition isn't about finding a quarterback—it's about setting a temperature. If a captain and the obvious Week 1 starter still have to earn the job every day, so does everyone below him.

The talent around that competition is real, according to Sports Illustrated. Duke transfer Que'Sean Brown arrives off an 846-yard, five-touchdown season. Former five-star tight end Luke Reynolds and defensive tackle Kemari Copeland already sit on the Senior Bowl's preseason top-300 list, while Marcellous Hawkins and Jeffrey Overton Jr. give the backfield a genuine one-two punch. None of it buys a starting spot.

Franklin's approach is process-driven, aiming for complementary football, Sports Illustrated notes. That philosophy extends to his staff: Brent Pry, who ran Franklin's defense at Penn State from 2016 to 2021 and served as Virginia Tech's head coach for four years, has returned as coordinator, per Sports Illustrated.

The Hokies open the season Sept. 5 against VMI, according to Sports Illustrated.

A Personal Reunion

One of the most emotional storylines of the new staff is the hire of Journey Brown, a running back Franklin coached at Penn State. Brown confirmed the news on Instagram, posting a photo in Hokies gear with his family and writing, "Happy to be a Hokie! Thankful for the opportunity," as reported by Essentially Sports.

Brown's career was cut short in 2020 after routine medical testing revealed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an abnormal thickening of the heart walls, according to Essentially Sports. Franklin publicly supported him through the shock, keeping him close to the team as a student assistant.

"We've been working through this and dealing with this as a team," Franklin said, per a November 11, 2020, report by Penn State Nittany Lions on SI, as cited by Essentially Sports. "Journey's one of the most popular and respected players on our team. The entire organization has rallied behind Journey and his family. We need Nittany Nation to do the same."

Brown's playing days were over, but he redirected his competitive drive. In 2023, Trackhouse Racing recruited him as a front-tire changer for their NASCAR pit crew, a role that required changing tires in under ten seconds, per Essentially Sports. He later reflected on the transition in an interview with FOX Sports in October 2023: "You tend to become what you do on a daily basis, so for me, I always thought of myself as a football player."

Brown's college career at Penn State was defined by resilience and production: 137 carries, 934 rushing yards, and 13 touchdowns, along with a Cotton Bowl record of 202 rushing yards that surpassed Saquon Barkley's 194-yard mark, a 2019 average of 6.89 yards per carry that ranked fifth in school history, and the Tim Shaw Thrive Award, Essentially Sports reports. His retirement statement captured the pain: "The pain of not being able to play the game I love anymore hurts..."

Ahead of the 2026 season, Franklin also hired Ty Howle, former Penn State offensive coordinator, in December 2025, per Essentially Sports. Brown's exact role with the Hokies has not been clarified, but it's likely coaching running backs.

Skepticism and a Dark Horse Nod

When Virginia Tech hired Franklin late last year, skepticism carried over from his time at Penn State, and there was additional friction during the hiring process, according to Yardbarker. The college football season is starting soon, with preparation underway, giving Franklin the chance to silence his critics. He has at least one sports outlet that believes in him: Fox Sports named Virginia Tech the "dark horse team" for the ACC in a feature out Sunday, as reported by Yardbarker.

"Last season, a 7-5 Duke team walked away with the ACC crown," Fox Sports noted, per Yardbarker. "If that proved anything, it's that this year's conference race is completely up for grabs."

Fox Sports added that in the team's first year under Franklin, there's a path for the Hokies to win that ACC title. They have the No. 4 transfer class in the ACC and are "returning the fourth-most production in the conference, including 14 starters," according to Fox, which would be a huge help to Franklin.

"The Hokies' biggest games this year are on the road against Clemson and Miami," Fox Sports added, as quoted by Yardbarker. "If they can split those two matchups, they could be in really good shape to play in the ACC Championship, as the remainder of the schedule is light."

Virginia Tech has struggled with big, important games, Yardbarker notes. But if it can win at least one of those contests, as Fox noted, it'll give them a fairly easy path to be ACC champs.