Six games into the James Franklin era, Virginia Tech sits at 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the ACC. If you had told me before the season that the Hokies would be 4-2 at the halfway point, I probably would have taken it. After watching this team start 4-0, however, it’s hard not to feel a little disappointed.
Virginia Tech opened the season with four consecutive wins, including road victories over Maryland and Boston College. Lane Stadium was rocking, the offense was putting up ridiculous numbers, and for the first time in what feels like an eternity, Virginia Tech football was actually fun again.
Then Pitt happened. And then Cal happened.
In the span of eight days, Virginia Tech went from an undefeated team with legitimate ACC championship aspirations to a team searching for answers after consecutive losses. The frustrating part isn’t necessarily that the Hokies lost two games. It’s how they lost them.
Against Pitt, Virginia Tech produced 578 yards of offense and still managed to lose 35-33. Against Cal, the Hokies led with 75 seconds remaining before allowing the Golden Bears to march 75 yards in less than a minute for the winning touchdown.
Two games. Two losses by a combined seven points. Two games Virginia Tech had every opportunity to win.
Sound familiar?
The difference between this team and the Virginia Tech teams we’ve watched over the past several years is that the talent and offensive production are clearly improving. The problem is that the Hokies are still making the kinds of mistakes that have plagued the program for the better part of a decade.
Let’s take a look at where things stand halfway through the 2026 season.
The First Six Games
Opponent
Result
VMI
W 73-3
Old Dominion
W 44-21
at Maryland
W 35-26
at Boston College
W 21-14
Pittsburgh
L 33-35
at California
L 20-25
The first four games showed exactly why Virginia Tech hired James Franklin. The Hokies were more explosive offensively, looked better prepared, and demonstrated an ability to win games in different ways.
The VMI game was a glorified scrimmage, but scoring 73 points was a nice way to introduce the new coaching staff. Old Dominion provided a slightly better test, and Virginia Tech handled business.
The Maryland game was probably the first indication that this team might be ahead of schedule. Going on the road and beating a Big Ten opponent 35-26 was encouraging, particularly for a program that has struggled to consistently beat Power Four competition.
Then came Boston College.
Playing in absolutely miserable weather, Virginia Tech found itself trailing 14-6 in the fourth quarter. Jeffrey Overton Jr. proceeded to put the offense on his back, finishing with 209 rushing yards and breaking a 76-yard touchdown run that helped deliver a 21-14 victory.
At 4-0, there was legitimate reason to be excited.
Unfortunately, the next two weeks exposed some pretty significant problems.
Against Pitt, turnovers and missed opportunities erased an outstanding offensive performance. Against Cal, Virginia Tech failed to protect a late lead against a team it should have beaten.
Now, instead of talking about whether Virginia Tech can compete for an ACC championship, we’re talking about whether the Hokies can avoid another disappointing second half of the season. That’s quite a turnaround.
Offense: A Significant Improvement
The biggest positive from the first six games has been the offense.
Virginia Tech is averaging 37.7 points per game, and Ethan Grunkemeyer has been considerably better than I expected entering the season.
Grunkemeyer has shown he can distribute the football, push the ball downfield and put up big numbers against quality competition. His 434-yard, three-touchdown performance against Pitt was probably the most encouraging individual offensive performance of the season.
The problem is consistency. Virginia Tech scored 73 points against VMI and 44 against Old Dominion. Against Boston College and Cal, the Hokies managed just 21 and 20 points, respectively. That’s not particularly encouraging as the schedule gets tougher.
Jeffrey Overton Jr. has been a tremendous addition to the backfield. His performance against Boston College essentially saved Virginia Tech from an embarrassing loss, and he has demonstrated the ability to create explosive plays when the offense needs them.
Ayden Greene has also emerged as a legitimate receiving threat, while Que’Sean Brown and the other offensive weapons have given Grunkemeyer options in the passing game.
The offensive line has generally been better than what we’ve seen in recent years, although there’s still room for improvement.
Overall, I’m encouraged by the offense. This group is capable of scoring enough points to win eight or nine games. The question is whether it can consistently execute when it matters most.
Midseason Offensive Grade: B+
Defense: Still a Work in Progress
Brent Pry’s return to defensive coordinator was one of the most interesting developments of the offseason. Six games into the season, I think the results have been mixed.
Virginia Tech is allowing 20.7 points per game. On paper, that’s respectable. But those numbers are helped significantly by the VMI game.
The Hokies have surrendered 35 points to Pitt and 25 to Cal in consecutive weeks. More concerning than the actual point totals is how those points were scored.
Against Cal, Virginia Tech took a 20-19 lead with 1:15 remaining. The defense then allowed the Golden Bears to go 75 yards in six plays and score the winning touchdown with 18 seconds left. That’s unacceptable.
The secondary was supposed to be one of the strengths of this team, but Virginia Tech has struggled to prevent explosive passing plays and get critical stops.
The front seven has shown flashes of being disruptive, but the defense hasn’t consistently generated enough pressure to make opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable.
I don’t think the defense is terrible. It’s clearly capable of playing well for extended stretches. The problem is that it hasn’t demonstrated the ability to finish games.
If Virginia Tech wants to win some of these tougher ACC matchups, the defense needs to improve considerably over the next six games.
Midseason Defensive Grade: C+
Coaching Staff: The Honeymoon Is Over
I still believe James Franklin was an excellent hire for Virginia Tech. He’s brought credibility, improved the roster, upgraded the offense and made Virginia Tech football relevant again.
But the past two weeks have been a reminder that rebuilding a football program isn’t as simple as hiring a successful head coach.
The biggest disappointment has been the late-game execution. Virginia Tech had multiple opportunities to beat Pitt and couldn’t finish. Against Cal, the Hokies managed to take the lead late in the fourth quarter only to immediately surrender it. Those are the kinds of games Franklin was hired to win.
The good news is that Virginia Tech has been competitive in every game this season. Unlike previous years, there hasn’t been a game where the Hokies looked completely overmatched.
The bad news is that being competitive isn’t the standard. Franklin doesn’t need to win 10 games in Year 1, but Virginia Tech needs to stop finding ways to lose games it should win.
Midseason Coaching Grade: B-
Midseason Awards
MVP: Ethan Grunkemeyer
Grunkemeyer has exceeded my expectations through six games. He’s demonstrated that Virginia Tech can have a legitimate passing attack, and his performance against Pitt showed what this offense is capable of when he’s playing well.
Honorable Mention: Jeffrey Overton Jr.
Biggest Surprise: The Passing Game
I expected the offense to improve under Franklin, but I didn’t expect Grunkemeyer to produce a 434-yard passing performance against an undefeated Pitt team.
Biggest Disappointment: Late-Game Execution
Virginia Tech is a handful of plays away from being 6-0. Instead, the Hokies are 4-2. At some point, the program has to start making those plays.
The Remaining Schedule
Opponent
Midseason Prediction
Georgia Tech
Win
at Clemson
Loss
at SMU
Loss
Stanford
Win
at Miami
Loss
Virginia
Win
Tough Games (Less Than 40% Chance to Win)
at Clemson
Winning in Death Valley is difficult, and Virginia Tech hasn’t demonstrated the consistency needed to feel confident about going into Clemson and winning.
at Miami
Miami has more talent across the roster, and playing the Hurricanes on the road late in November is going to be a significant challenge.
at SMU
Another Friday night road game against a talented ACC opponent. This feels like exactly the kind of game Virginia Tech could win if everything comes together, but I’m not predicting it.
Toss-Up Games
Georgia Tech
This might be the most important remaining game on the schedule. Virginia Tech needs to end its two-game losing streak, and doing it at home against Georgia Tech would go a long way toward restoring confidence.
Virginia
I don’t care what the records are. This is a rivalry game, and Virginia Tech needs to win it. Losing to Virginia at home would put a significant damper on what should be an encouraging first season under Franklin.
Should Win Games (Greater Than 60% Chance to Win)
Stanford
Virginia Tech should have the talent advantage, and this is a game the Hokies need to win if they want to finish with a respectable record.
Keys to the Second Half
There are three things I’m looking for over the final six games.
First, Virginia Tech needs to play cleaner football. Turnovers, missed assignments and late-game mistakes have already cost this team two wins. That has to change.
Second, the defense needs to improve. The Hokies don’t need a Top 10 defense to win eight games, but they need to get stops when the game is on the line.
Third, Virginia Tech needs to show that it can bounce back from adversity. Starting 4-0 was great, but how this team responds to consecutive losses will tell us considerably more about the direction of the program.
Final Prediction: 7-5
Before the season, I predicted Virginia Tech would finish 8-4. I still think that’s possible, but the loss to Pitt makes getting there considerably more difficult.
Looking at the remaining schedule, I see three games Virginia Tech should be able to win and three games where the Hokies will probably be underdogs.
Beat Georgia Tech, Stanford and Virginia, and Virginia Tech finishes 7-5.
Steal one against Clemson, SMU or Miami, and the Hokies finish 8-4.
Lose another game they should win, and suddenly we’re talking about 6-6.
I think 7-5 is the most realistic outcome.
Would that be a successful first season under James Franklin? I think so.
Remember where this program was a year ago. Virginia Tech was 2-4 at the halfway point, had already fired Brent Pry and was staring down another losing season. Now the Hokies are 4-2 with a legitimate offense, a proven head coach and a much more encouraging outlook for the future.
That’s progress.
But the past two weeks have also been a reminder of how far this program still has to go.
Virginia Tech didn’t hire James Franklin to consistently win seven games. The goal is to compete for ACC championships, return to the Top 25 and eventually become a legitimate College Football Playoff contender.
That’s not happening overnight.
The good news is that Virginia Tech looks considerably closer to becoming a good football program than it did 12 months ago.
The bad news is that we’re still watching the Hokies lose games they should win.
Final Regular Season Prediction: 7-5 (4-4 ACC)
Expected ACC Finish: 7th-10th
Overall Midseason Grade: B-
