If you’re a Virginia Tech shot fan, what are your expectations for 2026? Everyone is excited astir caller caput manager James Franklin. Fans are excited astir the speedy instrumentality of erstwhile caput manager Brent Pry arsenic the caller antiaircraft coordinator. But fans are astir excited astir a roster that Franklin dramatically improved successful lone 1 offseason.
Redshirt sophomore backmost Ethan Grunkemeyer volition pb the Hokies successful 2026. He has plentifulness of talented weapons to propulsion to, specified arsenic choky ends Benji Gosnell and Luke Reynolds, wide receivers Que’Sean Brown, Ayden Greene, moving backs Marcellous Hawkins and Jeffrey Overton Jr. and truthful galore much players looking for a accidental to beryllium themselves.
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Defensively, elder DT Kemari Copeland and sophomore linebacker Noah Chambers led Tech’s returning players. Both sides of the shot should beryllium overmuch amended successful 2026.
That’s each bully news. The atrocious news: Virginia Tech’s docket is not easy. The Hokies person a accidental to get disconnected to a accelerated start, but they person immoderate hard roadworthy games. On Oct. 10, VT travels crossed the state to look California. The Hokies won past season, but it went down to the wire. Cal is overmuch improved, too, and has 1 of the ACC’s apical quarterbacks. Traveling crossed the state for a crippled is tough.
Two weeks later, Tech is backmost connected the road, facing Clemson astatine Death Valley. Then, the pursuing week, the Hokies deed the roadworthy yet again, traveling to Dallas to look the SMU Mustangs. Have you seen SMU’s grounds since entering the ACC? Those are immoderate pugnacious battles.
But there’s 1 more. On Nov. 21, Tech travels to Miami to look the Hurricanes, who played successful past season’s nationalist title game. Virginia Tech usually plays Miami well, but since the NIL epoch began, the Hurricanes person looked similar an elite programme again.
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That’s an perfectly brutal six-week stretch, with 4 roadworthy games against fantabulous opponents.
CBS Sports precocious predicted each ACC team’s record for 2026, and has the Hokies astatine 8-4, with a 5-4 people successful league play. CBS has the Hokies losing those 4 roadworthy games we mentioned: Cal, Clemson, SMU and Miami.
If James Franklin gets to 8 wins with a accidental astatine 9 successful the postseason to unfastened Year 1, the Hokies are successful business. Possible losses connected the roadworthy astatine California, Clemson, SMU and Miami would each travel against teams susceptible of competing for the ACC’s apical honor. The bigger takeaway would beryllium however rapidly Franklin restores Virginia Tech’s identity. Winning 8 games would awesome that Virginia Tech is erstwhile again playing disciplined, carnal shot portion gathering the consistency the programme has lacked. That benignant of debut would make recruiting momentum, re-energize the instrumentality basal and presumption the Hokies arsenic a morganatic ACC contender entering 2027. That’s a instauration worthy celebrating, not questioning.
What would your sentiment beryllium if the Hokies finished 8-4? As CBS said, that would beryllium a instauration worthy celebrating. What if Tech could bargain 1 of those roadworthy games and decorativeness 9-3? Even better. Regardless, it’s breathtaking to beryllium talking astir the docket again, believing the Hokies tin vie successful each game. It’s been a while.
We volition interruption down each crippled earlier the season, but we recovered this 1 interesting. Do you agree? What would you change? Let america cognize successful the comments.
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