Who Will Be QB1?: 2026 Virginia Tech Position Breakdown

We are just over a month from the start of Fall Camp, and now under 75 days until James Franklin’s Hokies take the field against VMI, and the Hokies depth chart remains uncertain at several spots. Franklin and his staff mostly used spring ball to give the whole team as many reps as possible, rather than groom potential starters and give them more opportunities early. That means several position battles have now stretched into the dog days of summer and won’t be decided until the weeks leading up to the first game. One of those positions is quarterback. 

After two years of Kyron Drones unquestionably sitting atop the quarterback depth chart, the Hokies are holding a serious competition for QB1. When I sat down with Quarterback Coach Danny O’Brien, he said there is no set timeline to set the order, and the team is waiting for it to develop organically. 

O’Brien also told me that the QB competition became easier to evaluate after the decision to move AJ Brand from QB to WR this spring. O’Brien said it was a “tough move” on both sides, but it allowed the other four guys in the room to get more reps and build a “library of tape” for evaluation. 

Let’s break down those four signal-callers and what we know about the QB competition right now.

Ethan Grunkemeyer

Grunkemeyer possesses two things that the other three quarterbacks on the roster do not: starting collegiate experience and a relationship with James Franklin’s staff.  Grunkemeyer came with Franklin, O’Brien, and OC Ty Howle from Penn State. That familiarity gives him an enormous leg up, as does the six starts he made last season for the Nittany Lions after starter Drew Allar went down with an injury. While that may not be an abundance of experience, it’s more than any of the other QBs on Virginia Tech’s roster, who have a combined zero college starts. Grunkemeyer led Penn State to four straight wins to end the year and went toe-to-toe with Heisman Winner Fernando Mendoza to almost beat Indiana. In that game against the eventual National Champions, Grunk went 22/31 for 219 yards and a touchdown. That’s more yards than projected top-5 pick Dante Moore was able to muster against the same Indiana defense during Oregon’s regular-season matchup with the Hoosiers. Overall, across 11 games of action, Grunkemeyer posted 1339 yards and completed over 69% of his passes.

Grunkemeyer continued to show improvement this offseason, taking on a greater leadership role in this Virginia Tech offense and making an impression on his teammates. O’Brien says that Grunk “has a very good way about him of connecting with everyone on the team…he’s one of those people that people kind magnate towards, a natural leader.” He also made a good first impression on Hokie Nation during the spring game, where he went 13-17 for 136 yards and a touchdown. Grunkemeyer doesn’t blow you away with his arm strength, but he is decisive and accurate while showing a willingness to drive the ball over the middle of the field. Grunk has also shown an early chemistry with fellow Penn State transfer Luke Reynolds, as the two connected five times during the exhibition, including a beautiful seam route down the middle of the field.  Ethan Grunkemeyer looked like the most comfortable quarterback in practice this spring, and his starting experience and chemistry with the current coaching staff have him in pole position to win the starting job this fall. 

Bryce Baker

Baker may be one of the best pure athletes on this Virginia Tech offense, which makes him an intriguing option at quarterback. Bryce transferred to Virginia Tech this offseason after spending a year down in North Carolina, where he did not see any game action. 

In high school, Baker was ranked as the 155th player in the country by 247 and 74th by On3. Baker’s impressive 39/3 TD/INT ratio was good enough to attract several offers, including from James Franklin…at Penn State. In fact, Baker’s final official visit before signing with the Tarheels was to Happy Valley, as Franklin pushed to flip his commitment. QB Coach Danny O’Brien says, “We recruited the heck out of Bryce in high school. We didn’t get him the first time, but in today’s day and age, we got him here the second time.” 

At East Forsyth High School in North Carolina, Baker also ran track and was a thousand-point scorer as a basketball player, and his movement skills on the football field show why he was effective on the hardwood. During the spring game, Baker was behind a younger offensive line that was pitted against projected starters on the D-line, like Kemari Copeland. This often forced Baker to use his legs to escape trouble, and even though QB’s were marked tackled upon any contact, Baker’s speed allowed him to run away from defenders and rack up 43 rushing yards.

Passing-wise, Baker and his offense started slow, but in the second half, he flashed some of the skills that made him a highly-touted prospect. He ended the day 15-27 for 140 yards and a TD, including a very impressive rollout throw downfield to Ja’Ricous Hairston. 

Coaches describe Baker as a guy who “craves coaching” and wants to understand the “why” behind things to flesh out his process as a quarterback fully. Those are traits that traditionally serve young signal callers well. However, O’Brien says that Baker still needs to work on playing within the system more consistently. If he can do that, Baker’s scrambling ability and powerful arm will at the very least put some pressure on Ethan Grunkemeyer for the starting job.

Troy Huhn

Huhn was one of several players to flip their commitment from Penn State to Virginia Tech following the arrival of James Franklin. Huhn was a 3-star prospect out of California and represents the depth model Franklin wants to build. Coach Franklin has said numerous times that he wants a solid top-two at every position, then a third, young player behind them to develop. Huhn is the developmental QB behind the slightly more experienced Grunkemeyer and Baker. While Huhn showed some flashes this spring, namely a scrimmage where Franklin says Huhn threw four touchdowns, he had his share of growing pains. In the Spring Game, Huhn was sacked several times. While not all the sacks were Huhn’s fault, he did hold the ball too long at times, inviting the pass rush to him. 

Despite some expected freshman struggles, Huhn possesses a lot of potential with his 6-4, 220-pound frame. James Franklin says Huhn also made big strides during his Senior year of high school, using his legs to create plays. Franklin says that at every level of football, QB’s must be able to make plays with their mind, their arm, and their legs. According to scouts, Troy shares some similarities to Ethan Grunkemeyer’s playstyle, winning with decisiveness and accuracy rather than pure arm strength. Huhn comes out of high school with over 30 varsity starts and played in a pro-style system that should look relatively similar to the one he’d be asked to run in Blacksburg. Once he adjusts to the speed of the college game, Huhn should be an extremely capable player to take the reins of the offense. 

Kelden Ryan

Ryan is the only quarterback still on the roster from the Brent Pry era. He’s a Redshirt Freshman who came to Blacksburg from Fort Worth, Texas, as a dual-threat prospect. He averaged over 9 yards per carry his senior year and also ran track. All spring, we did not hear a lot of buzz surrounding Ryan from the coaching staff, and he seems to lack prototypical QB size. Ryan was efficient in the Spring Game, going 9/14 for 88 yards and a touchdown, but failed to create big plays in the passing game. The Hokies are lacking depth at the QB position, but if they want to get his speed on the field, Ryan could be another positional switch candidate if VT feels good enough about its top three guys. 

Overall, the biggest weakness the VT quarterback room has is a lack of experience. As I already wrote, Grunkemeyer is the most seasoned QB with only six starts. Combine a young quarterback with a new offensive system and a brand-new supporting cast, and there’s a chance this offense could get off to a slow start while the pieces gel together. If Grunkemeyer wins the starting job, expect to see an offense that features quick passes and pro-style concepts. Those kinds of plays will allow Grunk to show off his accuracy and strong decision-making in the pocket. If Baker ends up winning the job, the Hokies could deploy more rollouts and designed runs to fully take advantage of Baker’s arm strength and athleticism.

Whichever young QB wins the job will also face a tough test in week two against an ODU defense that recorded the 9th most sacks in the country last season. However, after how bleak the quarterback play has been in Blacksburg the past few seasons, it’s nice to see some fresh faces and talented prospects vying for the top spot. 

ICYMI: Check out the latest episode of the podcast where Ryan breaks down the hiring of a new Athletic Director for Virginia Tech, an addition to the 2027 non-conference slate, and what he's hearing from James Franklin's staff in Blacksburg.