Five Takeaways From Virginia Tech's Transfer Portal Class

What a whirlwind. 

Virginia Tech has all but wrapped up its 2026 transfer portal class. James Franklin promised to be active, and he followed through — the Hokies brought in 27 transfers from across the country, turning over a large chunk of the roster in just a couple of weeks. 

Keeping up with all the individual transfers can be difficult, but here are the key takeaways from Virginia Tech’s transfer portal chaos. 

Building for the Future 

One of the biggest questions surrounding James Franklin’s first offseason was how he would utilize the transfer portal. Would he spend big on a few big names, or would he cast a wide net, spread his resources around, and build for the future with younger, cheaper players? 

We now have an answer. 

Of the 27 incoming Hokies, just five are entering their final year of eligibility. Sixteen of the transfers have three or four years left to play.  

Rather than load up on players ready to contribute in Year 1, Franklin opted to restock his roster’s talent base. It’s no secret that Virginia Tech hasn’t recruited well in quite some time, which has created a roster devoid of depth and high-end talent. 

Now, Virginia Tech’s roster has been restocked with hand-picked players from James Franklin’s last couple of recruiting classes at Penn State. Among the 15 transfers with three or four years remaining, eight of them were four-star prospects out of high school. 

Franklin emphasized in his initial press conference that he planned for Virginia Tech to be a developmental program. Instead of relying on expensive mercenaries with limited eligibility every offseason, Franklin wants the core of his roster to be homegrown talent. Backfilling the bottom two-thirds of the roster with better players will pay dividends in the years to come.

Turning the Corner 

Not too long ago, Virginia Tech sported one of the best cornerback duos in the country. Dorian Strong was selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and Mansoor Delane is projected to be drafted in the first round this April. Both departed Blacksburg after the 2024 season, and their absence was felt all year long. 

Once Dante Lovett entered the transfer portal in the middle of the season, it became clear that Virginia Tech needed to seriously address the cornerback position this winter. 

James Franklin did just that, adding Jaquez White, Cam Chadwick, and Kenny Woseley to his roster. The trio could easily start together this fall.

White and Chadwick should be immediate upgrades — White starred at Troy in 2025, intercepting three passes and finishing the year with a Pro Football Focus grade of 86.2, while Chadwick has totaled six interceptions in his last two seasons. Woseley played in all 13 games as a redshirt freshman last year and projects as an up-and-coming nickelback. 

What was a noticeable weakness in 2025 could be a major strength in 2026. Virginia Tech should be far better at corner than they were this past season. 

Cutting Edge 

Virginia Tech addressed many positions in the transfer portal, but none were transformed as much as defensive end/edge. 

James Franklin added six edge players this month — Cortez Harris, Mylachi Williams, and Daniel Jennings from Penn State, Curtis Jones from West Virginia, Samuel Okunlola from Colorado, and Javion Hilson from Missouri. 

Harris, Williams, Jennings, and Hilson are all former four-star prospects. Talk about an infusion of talent. 

The newcomers have a few returning players to compete with — Jason Abbey and Aycen Stevens come to mind — but the path towards playing time on the edge is wide open. There are no incumbents holding on to a spot, but instead four spots in the two-deep entirely up for grabs. 

Hilson comes highly regarded and is an early favorite to take one of those starting spots. If Okunlola fully recovers from his season-ending injury, he'd be a favorite to start on the other side.

Competition at Receiver 

When the team finishes the season 3-9, and the head coach gets fired, nobody’s job is safe. Not even Ayden Greene, who led the team in receptions and receiving yards, and was tied for the team lead in touchdown catches. 

After a full season as the clear No. 1 option, Greene will now compete with Duke transfer Que’Sean Brown, a redshirt junior who caught 64 passes for 846 yards and five touchdowns in 2025. Marlion Jackson, a redshirt senior from Louisiana Tech, is also in the mix. 

Regardless of who the top option is, Greene will benefit from having a productive teammate on the other side of the field.

The more intriguing battle will take place in the middle of the depth chart. Takye Heath, Keylen Adams, Chanz Wiggins, Snook Peterkin, and Luke Stuewe will now compete with Penn State transfers TySeer Denmark and Jeff Exinor for playing time. There will only be so many snaps available at wideout with a lot of mouths to feed. A couple of guys will rise to the top, while the rest may find it hard to get on the field. 

A Quarterback Revolution 

With Kyron Drones ending his college career and Pop Watson moving closer to home, James Franklin took this winter as an opportunity to remake the quarterback room more to his liking. 

Not only did Franklin add former Nittany Lion Ethan Grunkemeyer, who will likely start for the Hokies in 2026, but he also added North Carolina transfer Bryce Baker. Baker, a former four-star recruit, figures to have a leg up on incumbent quarterbacks AJ Brand and Kelden Ryan. 

Throw in incoming freshman Troy Huhn, and Virginia Tech’s quarterback room looks drastically different than it did in November. Grunkemeyer brings a blend of experience and potential, while Baker gives Virginia Tech a developmental option down the road. Suddenly, the future at quarterback looks bright in Blacksburg.