Grunkemeyer to make first start as Franklin era opens
James Franklin makes his Virginia Tech debut tonight against VMI, with Ethan Grunkemeyer set for his first start and a 42-year-old rivalry finally back on the schedule.
Grunkemeyer gets the ball, and tonight it finally counts
The clipboard talk is over. James Franklin confirmed Ethan Grunkemeyer as his starting quarterback at his August 31 press conference, first reported by Pete Thamel, and tonight the Penn State transfer actually gets to play the position in a Virginia Tech uniform. Franklin was careful to frame it as won, not handed to him: "he's been the leader in the clubhouse for a number of practices — any maybe weeks," he said, "but it wasn't a foregone conclusion." What decided it was the rest of the job — distributing the ball, decision-making, and, in Franklin's words, the fact that Grunkemeyer "leads the position the right way" and has "got his teammates' respect" — carrying over four straight relief wins to close last season at Penn State.
The backup job is still very much alive behind him, with North Carolina transfer Bryce Baker "probably in the lead right now" per Franklin over redshirt freshman Kelden Ryan and true freshman Troy Huhn, though nothing is locked. And this is bigger than one quarterback: it is Franklin's actual coaching debut in Blacksburg, and he has already said the goal is bigger than one Saturday, telling reporters he wants to be "giving the fans and the community something to be excited about, more than just 'Enter Sandman,'" per On3. The line up front is set left to right — Justin Terry, Layth Ghannam, Kyle Altuner, Montavious Cunningham and Aidan Lynch — and the most familiar face on the sideline isn't a transfer at all: Brent Pry, fired here after a 3-9 season, is back as Franklin's defensive coordinator, the man he served under at Penn State for eight seasons.
Last season closed on a 4-game skid that cost the old staff its job
Whatever Grunkemeyer does tonight, it's trying to bury the memory of how last season ended. Virginia Tech finished last season on a 4-game losing streak: 16-28 at home to Louisville, 14-34 at Florida State, 17-34 at home to Miami, and 7-27 on the road at Virginia in November that sent the rivalry trophy back to Charlottesville. The lone bright spot in that stretch was a 42-34 shootout win at home over California — proof the offense could still move even as the defense came apart around it down the stretch.
That finish is the reason the record resets to 0-0 with almost no benefit of the doubt attached to it. Last year's team lost its final 4 games by a combined 47 points with the head coach already out of a job before the season was even over. Every piece of this month in Blacksburg — the Grunkemeyer decision, Pry's return, Franklin's talk of leadership and trust — is aimed at making that skid read as the old staff's problem, not this one's, and tonight is the first chance to actually prove it on a scoreboard.
A former walk-on gets his number, and the head coach's attention
Somewhere between the quarterback decision and the depth chart, HokiesFB posted a photo that had nothing to do with either: George Ballance, a former walk-on, being awarded the No. 25 jersey for the season — "more than a number, it's a legacy," the account wrote. Franklin filled in the rest of the story at his September 2 press conference, confirming Ballance had earned a scholarship after walking on, and that he'll wear the number as the team's special teams captain. "Epitomizes a Hokie football player," Franklin called him.
More than a number, it’s a legacy. Congrats to @Georgeb_50 on earning the honor of wearing No. 25 this season! #LetsGoHokies
It's the kind of moment that doesn't show up on a depth chart or a betting card, and it's exactly the sort of thing a brand-new staff leans on in its first month — a walk-on who stuck around long enough to get paid for it, singled out by name in front of the whole program before a single game has been played. If Franklin's Virginia Tech has a personality yet, this is as good an early data point as the quarterback change.
The Military Classic of the South returns after 42 years
Tonight vs. VMI isn't just a season opener, it's the 80th meeting in a series that dates to 1894 and hasn't been played since 1984, per Yahoo Sports — a rivalry once known as the Military Classic of the South that was played almost exclusively on Thanksgiving in Roanoke from 1913 to 1971. VMI arrives 0-1 after getting run off the field 38-10 at Idaho State last week, and the line reflects the gap between where these two programs are: Virginia Tech opened as a 50.5-point favorite with the total set at 57.5, pricing in a lot of points from an offense that hasn't played a live game since last November.
The one name to watch on the injury front is wide receiver S. Peterkin, listed as questionable with a foot injury heading into kickoff, per Covers' injury tracker — a designation that leaves it genuinely unclear whether he suits up, not a lock either way. Old Dominion is already on deck a week later at Lane Stadium, but that is a problem for September 12. Tonight is about finding out what Franklin's Virginia Tech actually looks like the first time it takes the field.