Matt Campbell was far from the being the only coach to have a solid showing in his debut with his new school. His predecessor at Penn State ended up having a pretty big day as well.
James Franklin won his head coaching debut with Virginia Tech on Saturday behind an offensive explosion against VMI. Virginia Tech's 73-3 victory was fueled in part by a handful of notable performances by some former Penn State players who chose to follow Franklin from Happy Valley to Blacksburg.
Ethan Grunkemeyer, now Virginia Tech's starting quarterback, passed for 224 yards and 2 touchdowns before giving way to his backup in the second half. Tight end Luke Reynolds was Virginia Tech's second-leading receiver with 5 catches for 50 yards and a touchdown. Defensive lineman Mylachi Williams recorded the first sack of his career in the first quarter. Messiah Mickens, a freshman running back who was set to join Penn State but ultimately stayed loyal to Franklin, had 5 carries for 23 yards in his college debut.
The Hokies out-gained VMI 619 to 83, and the defense held the Keydets to negative rushing yardage in the game (-4 yards). But it wasn't all rosy for Franklin's squad. Virginia Tech was flagged 11 times for penalties for a total of 93 penalty yards. Virginia Tech also lost the turnover battle, 2-1.
Virginia Tech's next game will be next Saturday against Old Dominion, coached by former Penn State offensive coordinator (under Franklin) Ricky Rahne. The Hokies are orchestrating a "white effect" for Lane Stadium for the game.

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LEXINGTON, Va. (WFXR) – Facing Virginia Tech for the first time since 1984, the VMI football team will renew the all-time series with the Hokies after a 42-year hiatus.
VMI looks to bounce back from last week's 38-10 loss to Idaho State in Pocatello, Idaho. The Keydets trailed just 10-0 at halftime, but the Bengals pulled away in the third quarter with four touchdowns en route to the win.
Virginia Tech is eager to start the season under First-year Head Coach and former Penn State Head Coach James Franklin, who takes over a team that finished 15th in the ACC last season with a 3-9 record overall and 2-6 mark in conference.
Although the landscape of college football has changed dramatically since 1984 – the last time the two schools played each other – the Keydets do own 25 all-time wins in the series dating back to 1894.
The Hokies have won the last three matchups which were played in 1982, 1983 and 1984. The last time the Keydets took down the Hokies was November 21, 1981, a 6-0 win in Blacksburg.
The Keydets (0-1) and Hokies (0-0) will kick off at 7:30 p.m. at Lane Stadium.
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In less than one week, the Virginia Tech Hokies are back in action. It will be the first game for new head coach James Franklin when the VMI Keydets come to Lane Stadium to open the 2026 season.
Saturday's game will also feature the re-debut of defensive coordinator Brent Pry. Pry was Virginia Tech's head coach for the past four seasons, but was fired last season after an 0-3 start. Pry is excited to be back in Blacksburg, and in the offseason retained Virginia Tech's top defensive players from a year ago: defensive tackle Kemari Copeland, linebackers Noah Chambers and Kaleb Spencer and safety Quentin Reddish.
Speaking of Reddish, the Virginia Tech secondary has an interesting blend of returning players and newcomers.
We conclude our 2026 season preview today with a look at the secondary.
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