While Virginia kicked off its 2026 season last Saturday with a win over NC State, two other FBS schools from the commonwealth begin new seasons-and new regimes-in earnest this weekend. Virginia Tech and James Madison have new coaches, but that’s where the comparisons end.
Because while the Dukes are coming off a dream season that ended in the College Football Playoff, the Hokies are emerging from a nightmare 3-9 finish (most losses by the program since 1987) where they moved on from head coach Brent Pry before the Autumnal Equinox.
Virginia Tech made a splash with their hire, bringing in James Franklin who went 104-45 at Penn State over 11 and a half seasons. And after a productive offseason he’s ready for what’s next.
“I think we’ve done a really nice job of maximizing every opportunity in the time we’ve had since we’ve arrived, but none of that matters if it doesn’t translate to the game,” Franklin said at Monday’s press conference. “As excited as I am about my first ‘Enter Sandman’, I’m more excited about watching our organization operate at a level that I think we have the ability to. That’s the priority.”
Franklin did not have to look far to find his quarterback, announcing that Penn State transfer Ethan Grunkemeyer would be his starter for the opener. The sophomore completed 69% of his passes last year and led the Nittany Lions to four straight wins at the end of the season.
“His game-experience we also think is valuable, and his ability to distribute the ball and decision-making-those things are big,” Franklin said. “I think he has the ability to still be a threat in the running game, or a guy that can extend plays.”
Running back Marcellous Hawkins is back after leading the team with 768 yards rushing in 2025 while last year’s leading receiver Ayden Greene (31 catches for 516 yards) returns for his senior season. The defense will be led by lineman Kemari Copeland (4.5 sacks in 2025) and linebacker Kaleb Spencer (team-high 67 tackles last year.)
The schedule begins with home games against VMI (first meeting since 1984) and Old Dominion (they lost to the Monarchs in Blacksburg last season) before the Hokies visit Maryland Sept. 19 under the lights. That’s the first of four road games in six weeks to test what strides have been made in Franklin’s first fall. They won’t face a team ranked in the Preseason Top 25 until November, but trips to No. 19 SMU and No. 7 Miami loom large.
While Virginia Tech is looking to return to a world where they won 10+ games twelve times from 1995-2011, James Madison seeks to continue their incredible run that has seen the Dukes post a 40-11 mark over four seasons since making the transition to FBS. JMU was previously a regular in the FCS Playoffs and advanced to the College Football Playoff last December.
The Dukes also have a new coach after Bob Chesney left for UCLA (two seasons after Curt Cignetti departed for Indiana), and Billy Napier comes to Harrisonburg after being fired by Florida midway through 2025. He previously led Louisiana to a 40-12 mark and a pair of Sun Belt Conference titles in four seasons with the Rajun’ Cajuns.
“We’ve got a tough blue-collar group that has a great attitude. They’re competitors, they’ve had every opportunity to earn their position on the depth chart up until this point,” Napier said. “Week to week, there’ll continue to be competition at some position groups.”
Napier has a new quarterback as Alonza Barnett III departed for UCF, with sophomores Camden Coleman and JC Evans the front-runners to replace him. Running back George Pettaway rushed for 980 yards in 2024 before injuries limited his effectiveness last year. Zach Greenberg and Tyler Brown anchor the offensive line. The defense begins with linemen Amar Thomas and Kells Bush.
The SBC East Division favorites have two September road tests, at San Diego State and Old Dominion (the Monarchs are picked second in the preseason poll). They beat Troy last December in the conference championship game, and the Trojans are the favorites to win the west. But they’re not looking past the opener against Liberty.
“Being able to rush the ball and stop the run. Gap integrity, point of attack fundamentals, second and third level tackling,” Napier said. “Playing clean, the pre- and post-snap penalties. The special teams miscues. A lot of these games are lost more than they’re won.”
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