Virginia Tech Hokies NFL Draft Prospects

2026 Season Preview Read full preview »

Franklin and a Familiar Foil Try to Wake Up the Hokies

Virginia Tech bottomed out at 3-9 (2-6 ACC) in 2025, dropping its final four games by an average of nearly three touchdowns and firing head coach Brent Pry after an 0-3 start. The response was a marquee swing: James Franklin, 128-60 across 15 years at Penn State and Maryland and a play away from the national title game in 2024, takes over in Blacksburg with a top-shelf recruiting haul and one of the more aggressive portal classes in the league.

The most unusual wrinkle is that Franklin kept Pry, the man Tech dismissed last September, and installed him as defensive coordinator. The two ran the defense together at Penn State and Vanderbilt, so there is no learning curve on that side of the ball, and the arrangement lets a proven winner shoulder the head-coaching load while Pry does what he does best. Ty Howle arrives as offensive coordinator. The preseason consensus tabs the Hokies fifth in the ACC and pegs them as one of the nation's most improved teams.

Read the full 2026 Virginia Tech Hokies preview »

RANK	Player	Pos	Weight	Height	40YD	AVG POS RANK	AVG OVR RANK	Rating	Summary
136	Luke Reynolds	TE	250lbs	6-4	4.50	7	136	82.1 MORE>>	Few recruiting rises matched Reynolds, who climbed from outside the top 1,000 to a five-star and the No. 1 tight end in the 2024 c...
257	Kyle Altuner	C	296lbs	6-3	5.30	35	237.5	75.4 MORE>>	A four-star out of powerhouse Our Lady of Good Counsel in Maryland, Altuner played tackle in high school before moving inside, fol...
329	Dante Lovett	CB	200lbs	6-0	4.53	53	329	61.9 MORE>>	Out of DeMatha Catholic in Maryland, Dante Lovett signed with Virginia Tech as a three-star cornerback in the 2023 class. He playe...

RANK	Player	Pos	Weight	Height	40YD	AVG POS RANK	AVG OVR RANK	Rating	Summary
255	Terion Stewart	RB	222lbs	5-9	4.56	24	248.8	79.8 MORE>>	Two-time first-team All-Ohio at Sandusky High School, Terion Stewart rushed for 2,758 yards and 39 touchdowns as a junior and foll...
351	Kyron Drones	QB	235lbs	6-2	4.62	39	396.3	75.0 MORE>>	Kyron Drones from Shadow Creek High School was rated a 4-star recruit by ESPN and handed a 4-star grade by 247 Sports. After high...
471	Kelvin Gilliam Jr.	DL	295lbs	6-3	4.76	127	541.5	62.4 MORE>>	Kelvin Gilliam Jr. from Highland Springs High School was rated a 4-star recruit by ESPN and handed a 4-star grade by 247 Sports. ...

RANK	Player	Pos	Weight	Height	40YD	AVG POS RANK	AVG OVR RANK	Rating	Summary
122	Jaylin Lane	WR	196lbs	5-10	4.34	21	150	83.4 MORE>>	Jaylin Lane emerged as a record-setting high school receiver at Clover High School where he played under his father Brian Lane. Th...
124	Dorian Strong	CB	185lbs	6-1	4.50	27	97.9	83.3 MORE>>	Born March 14, 2002, Dorian Strong emerged from Dr. Henry Wise High School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland as a versatile two-way play...
148	Aeneas Peebles	DL	282lbs	6-0	4.94	41	126	82.2 MORE>>	Aeneas Peebles (born January 1, 2001) honed his craft at Knightdale High School in North Carolina, where he accumulated 195 tackle...
158	Bhayshul Tuten	RB	209lbs	5-11	4.32	11	104.6	81.5 MORE>>	Bhayshul Tuten's path to the NFL Draft runs through the back roads of New Jersey, where he piled up 3,768 yards and 77 touchdowns ...
163	Antwaun Powell-Rylan...	DL	252lbs	6-3	4.69	39	124.5	81.3 MORE>>	Antwaun Powell-Ryland a four-star recruit out of Indian River High School who garnered attention from major programs, initially la...
334	Da'Quan Felton	WR	216lbs	6-5	4.50	43	266.8	74.0 MORE>>
419	Collin Schlee	QB	225lbs	6-3	4.60	26	448	67.2 MORE>>	Collin Schlee from Oakdale High School was rated a 3-star recruit by ESPN and handed a 3-star grade by 247 Sports. After high sch...
448	Ali Jennings	WR	205lbs	6-2	4.46	78	558.5	62.5 MORE>>	Jennings took a winding path through college, starting at West Virginia before transferring to Old Dominion and finally landing at...