On Thursday's edition of Tech Talk Live, Virginia Tech football head coach James Franklin and wide receiver Ayden Greene joined Evan Hughes and Mike Burnop on the show.
The Hokies open the 2026 season on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m. ET vs. VMI in Lane Stadium.
The show's live recording from McClain's at First and Main can be listened to on replay here.
James Franklin
It’s finally game week. How are you? How is the team? How has practice gone this week?
We had what we call “No Sweat Thursday,” which is basically a mental day. We’re outside walking through plays, and it’s designed to be mentally challenging. We’re giving them the toughest looks, but it’s not physically challenging. We want to try to get them recovered and get their legs back.
Tuesday is a work day, Wednesday is a work day, and then Thursday we switch to No Sweat Thursday. We just got done with our first official one, and I thought it went really well. A couple guys at the end of practice were jogging up as we broke down, and I screamed at them to walk or they’ll get in trouble. We’re trying to get everybody adjusted to that.
Tomorrow, we’ll have our short, fast Friday practice, and then we’ll head over to the hotel, where we’ll have our meetings and meals. Then we’ll have a long day Saturday with walkthroughs, meetings, meals and killing time in the hotel while all of you guys are out having a phenomenal time tailgating.
When you played quarterback, were quarterbacks protected in training camp the way they are today?
No.
Do you ever worry about quarterbacks going from being protected in practice to suddenly being thrown into a live game?
Yes. That’s where a guy like Ethan Grunkemeyer, who has played in six games in major college football, has value. Some guys look unbelievable in practice, and then they get out there and there are a bunch of angry 300-pound people chasing them all over the field, and they’re different guys.
There is some value in doing live work in practice so you can evaluate them. They get sick of hearing me tell stories about when we did three-a-days for the entire training camp. You can’t even do two-a-days now. Our entire training camp was practice in the morning, practice in the afternoon, and then at night it was special teams and conditioning. We were practicing three times a day with no water, which made no sense.
You announced Ethan Grunkemeyer as the starting quarterback earlier this week. What did you see from him throughout the spring and fall, and what should fans know about him and the rest of the quarterback room?
Sometimes when a coach doesn’t announce a starting quarterback, I think the media thinks they’re playing games. The reality is, I think we have four quarterbacks. You guys saw all four of them in the spring game do some pretty good things, and we’ve seen the same thing.
Troy Huhn, a true freshman out of California, has done some really good things. I’ve been very impressed with him. Kelden Ryan has had a good camp. He’s improved maybe as much as anybody in our program. Bryce Baker has the ability to really extend plays and make plays with his feet, and he has really grown from the pocket as well.
We truly have four quarterbacks that we really like, so we weren’t playing games. It was truly a competition up until the last minute. Even now, we’re trying to figure out who the backup quarterback is because it’s that close, and you can make arguments for all of them.
You have Marcellous Hawkins and Jeffrey Overton at running back. Who has stood out behind them, and how is the wide receiver rotation shaping up?
There was a legitimate battle. Tyler Mason is another guy who I feel like has improved as much as anybody in the program. He’s really athletic, had a great spring, had a great summer and has really made some moves.
Right now, I would say Messiah Mickens will be our third tailback this week. We’ll see how it goes, but it’s going to be a week-to-week battle. I think those two guys will go back and forth. Part of what we told them is going to factor into it is how big of a role the third running back has on special teams. Who is the most valuable guy there is going to be a major factor in who is the No. 3 back.
At wide receiver, we’re still working through some things. I think you’re going to see a rotation between Davion Brown and Marlion Jackson at Z. Those two guys are going to rotate back and forth for us. You’re going to see a good dosage of Tyseer Denmark and Que’Sean Brown in the slot. Que’Sean also has the ability to play Z for us. At X, you’ll see a rotation with Ayden Greene, who has played a lot of football here, and he’ll be backed up by A.J. Brand.
Marlion Jackson is an experienced receiver who has made some impressive plays during camp. What have you seen from him and how valuable is his experience to the wide receiver room?
He’s a big receiver. He’s about 210 pounds and 6-foot-2. His movements are really good. He’s got NFL movements and an NFL body, in my mind. He missed the spring with an injury, so that set him back. Now he’s just getting into his rhythm. I’ve been impressed with him. He’s a guy who I think could have a really big year. He needs to get some confidence and get this thing rolling, but we’re very excited about him, and he has played a ton of football.
What have you seen from the offensive line, particularly Justin Terry and the group you’ve named as starters?
We’re bigger. Justin Terry was about a cheeseburger away from 400 pounds in the spring. He’s down to about 330 pounds now and moving really well. I’ve been impressed with him. He has the ability to play both tackle and guard, and he is a very physical player.
Kyle Altuner is now about 305 pounds at center. I think he’s got a chance to be a really good one, and he’s been leading at that position. Aidan Lynch is obviously at tackle, and there have been a lot of conversations there.
I really like both of our guards. Montavious Cunningham can play both guard and tackle and has shown that in practice. I’d make the argument Layth Ghannam could be our best offensive lineman, and Layth has the ability to play guard and tackle as well.
Those are five that we feel really good about. I think you’ll see Logan Howland in there as well. I think you’ll see Lucas Austin in there. Then a guy we’re really excited about and have to get back is Michael Troutman III. Troutman had a little bit of an injury before training camp, but we’re expecting to get him back in the next couple of weeks. There’s a lot of excitement about him.
What are your early impressions of VMI, and how valuable is it to have film from its Week Zero game against Idaho State?
The fact that they opened up last week is good and bad for us. They were able to get Week 1 in, knock some of the rust off and work through some of those first-game issues. But it also gives us the ability to watch film, evaluate it and get an understanding of what to expect.
It was also cool for me to watch the film because they played Idaho State, and my first full-time job was in Pocatello, Idaho, at Idaho State as the wide receivers coach.
They have an indoor facility, and it’s amazing. You play the game Saturday, then they roll the turf up and bring in truckloads of dirt. On Wednesday, they might have monster trucks, then Thursday you go out and there are 1,600-pound bulls and they have a rodeo on the dirt. Then I’d come out Friday and Shania Twain was changing in our coach’s office because she had a concert, and then they’d have the game again Saturday.
Watching the film was pretty cool for me because it brought back memories of my first full-time job.
It sounds like life was pretty interesting for you at Idaho State.
Life was very interesting, and it was a great experience. I’m very appreciative of Larry Lewis, who was the head coach. He was the assistant head coach at Washington State when I was there, and then we went to Idaho State together for my first full-time job.
VMI’s option offense presents some unique challenges, particularly with cut blocks and replicating its style with the scout team. How difficult is that to prepare for?
When Brent Pry was at Georgia Southern, they would cut their defensive linemen in practice. I don’t know if we necessarily want to be cutting Kemari Copeland in practice, so we have to be smart about it.
That’s what is so difficult about playing these offenses. It’s hard to get your offense to show their look at full speed — the physicality, speed, timing and precision of it — because it’s nothing like anything we do or anything we’ll see for the rest of the year.
Our two scout-team offensive guards are 6-foot-7 and 330 pounds, and their guards are more like 6-foot-3, 275 pounds, quick and athletic. It’s very different. That’s the challenge with playing these teams: Can you really give your defense the look that they’re going to see in the game?
Why did you choose George Ballance to wear No. 25 for the entire season, and what does he represent to the program?
I saw some people saying that we changed the tradition, and we really didn’t. We’re still going to have the ability to do it week by week for a special teams player of the week. But George has been phenomenal all offseason, and to me, he embodies everything you want a Virginia Tech football player to be, specifically on special teams. He’s our special teams captain. He’s from Virginia. He’s a Virginia Beach kid. It means a ton to him. His dad played here, and he’s been dreaming of playing for Virginia Tech his entire life.
I actually had him film a video after practice, and I sent it to Coach Beamer tonight, thanking him for the honor of wearing his number. To me, it just made sense. Next year, we may go back to doing it week to week, or if we have somebody who makes sense, we’ll do it this way again. But I think George will make us all proud.
How do you feel about the defense overall, and specifically the depth and competition you now have at cornerback?
It’s been helpful. During spring ball, I wasn’t really sure because we had about five corners who were out after having surgeries following the season. I wasn’t able to see a ton of those guys. I didn’t get to see Joshua Clarke or Thomas Williams. Having those guys back, plus the guys we brought in, I think we have legitimate competition in that room. We have depth, length and athleticism. I’ve been very pleased with Nick Perry and what he’s been able to do coaching the position, as well as Vic [Hall]. Those two guys have done a really good job coaching the nickels and corners, and obviously Coach Midget is coaching the safeties.
I also think our defensive line is going to benefit, especially the guys we got back. Whether you’re talking about Aycen Stevens, Elhadj Fall or Kemari Copeland, those guys played a decent amount of football last year, but I don’t really think that system fit them. They were playing a 3-4 last year. In a 3-4, you’re basically playing with three nose guards on the field — a true nose guard and two three-techniques playing defensive end — but they’re not getting up the field and being disruptive. They’re two-gapping at the line of scrimmage.
Those guys are much better fits athletically and from a body-type standpoint to be in a 4-3 attacking-style defense. Between what Coach Pry wants to do and his work with Coach [Sean] Spencer, during our five years together, I think we were No. 2 in the country in sacks and tackles for loss. When you’re able to get people off schedule on first and second down and put offenses in obvious passing situations on third down, then you have a chance to be pretty exotic and aggressive on defense, which is what we would like to do.
I think you’re going to see those guys be a lot more active. I don’t know if you’ll see it a whole lot this week because of how we have to play against a wishbone-type team. Hopefully we can get VMI off schedule, because they’re definitely not built to be in third-and-long situations.
There were a lot of unusual mistakes around college football in Week 0. How do you use those situations to prepare your players for the first game?
I try to get our guys to not watch football like fans. I want them to watch the game, learn from the game and study it. I know I’ve got them when they’re texting me on Saturday night saying, “Coach, did you see the Colorado game and the mistake they made in four-minute or two-minute?” Whatever the situation may be.
Then we come in Sunday, and not only do we watch our tape, but we show 6-10 examples from college football or the NFL where we would have handled a situation differently. We try to use mistakes that were made — whether it’s communication, fair-catch signals or whatever it may be — and learn from those mistakes. It creates really good discussion and dialogue in our building.
You mentioned going to the beach. Are you a seafood guy, and what would you consider your favorite food?
I like seafood, but I’m not really a favorites guy. My wife gets upset with me about that. I like pretty much everything. I can find beauty in almost anything. If it’s Italian, there’s stuff I love about it. If it’s seafood, I love seafood. If it’s steak, I love that too. I’m just not really a favorites guy.
When you’re walking around at the beach, do people recognize you and stop you?
Where we go to the beach is major SEC country, and since I was a head coach in the SEC, there’s a decent amount of that. You put your sunglasses on, put your hat down low, walk and don’t make eye contact with people. It’s kind of like when you’re sitting on a Southwest plane and there’s an open seat next to you. You try to look grumpy and sick so people won’t sit next to you. It’s kind of the same thing on the beach.
After what happened with the parachutist at the spring game, are there going to be parachutists for the season opener?
We’re not doing the parachute thing. The reality is, the odds say it’s not going to happen again, but if it did happen again, everybody across the country would be saying, “Those people at Virginia Tech are idiots.” So, we’re not doing it again.
Ayden Greene
You’re 48 hours away from the season opener. What is your excitement level heading into game day?
Through the roof. This is the part of the year that I live for. My guys and I worked all offseason to get to this point, and here it is. It’s time for us to go out and show everybody the work we’ve done behind closed doors.
You had a big year last season, and Fontel Mines was retained through the coaching change. What has it been like having him back while transitioning into the new offense?
It’s been awesome. Obviously, there’s an acclimation period that we all had to go through — new scheme, new players, new expectations, new standard, new head coach and new offensive coordinator. I think Mines has done a great job acclimating to that and having our room come together, not just as receivers but as a brotherhood and essentially a family. He’s pushing us to be excellent. He’s doing a great job in the meeting room, coaching and making sure we understand the concepts and can get our jobs done on the field. It’s been great.
Receivers and quarterbacks often talk about the importance of establishing chemistry. How have you worked to build that connection with Ethan Grunkemeyer and the other quarterbacks?
I don’t think anybody knows this, but as soon as I heard that Ethan Grunkemeyer might be our new quarterback, he got a call from me that same day. It was the end of the school year, the college kids were getting off campus, and I knew some leases were opening up next door to me. I called Grunk and said, “I heard you might be thinking about coming here. Would you like to be my neighbor?” That was our first conversation. He told me he was actually touring here the next week, and I told him, “Well, I’m next door, so it might be a good idea to do that.”
After that, we’re still young teenagers. We play video games, hang out, go bowling, watch movies, or we’ll all go to somebody’s house and watch college football or UFC fights. Any way to get together and hang out outside of the facility is huge when it comes to building culture. At the end of the day, if I can trust this guy off the field as my friend, executing and having chemistry on the field is a lot easier.
There are a lot of new players in the wide receiver room. What have you thought of the newcomers and the relationships that have formed within the group?
It’s honestly been awesome. It’s been a blessing. You have new coaches, new staff and new players coming in, and it’s a little frightening. There’s a little bit of concern. What are these guys like? How are they as people and as players? What type of relationships are we going to be able to build?
It honestly blew my mind. Obviously, building a team and building chemistry is huge when you’re in a scenario like we were this past offseason. But just a couple of months into everybody being in Blacksburg, getting into the groove with winter workouts and everything else, it felt like I had known these guys for years.
That’s a testament to the type and character of young men that we brought in and also to the coaching staff and their expectation to build relationships and create a bond that will improve our chemistry on the field. I love these guys. I haven’t even known them for 12 months, but it feels like I’ve known them for years. I’d do anything for them on the field and off the field.
With the weapons Virginia Tech has at running back, receiver and tight end, how difficult do you think this offense will be for defenses to key in on?
It’s a great problem to have. You’ve got guys in the backfield like Hawk and Jeff Overton, and then you get outside to the wideouts. You’ve got me, you’ve got Q, and you’ve got Luke Reynolds, who does it all. He’s one of the best football players I’ve been around. That kid is going to do a lot for us this year.
When other teams start to realize we’ve got all these different weapons — from the backfield to the tight ends to the receivers — we’re going to give defenses a lot of issues this year. It’s also going to open up other areas of our offense.
If teams are worried about the backfield, that opens up the route tree, route concepts and passing game. If teams want to come out in four-shells and try to shut down the passing game, we’ll hand the ball to our two scatbacks back there and let them have a field day.
Your performance in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl was something of a breakout moment for you. You’ve since become one of the team’s vocal leaders. Was that transition something that came naturally?
Yeah. Ever since I stepped on this campus, I’ve been itching, scratching and clawing to get on the field and make an impact. We obviously had a really good core of receivers back then with Da’Quan Felton, Ali Jennings, Jaylin Lane and Stephen Gosnell.
Coming from high school, you’re a big fish in a small pond. Then you get to college and you’re a small fish in a big pond. That was something I had to adjust to. But I had been itching for that very moment. I think my preparation for that bowl game said a lot about the outcome of that game for me, and I’ve hit the ground running from that moment until now.
When the sold-out Lane Stadium crowd sees this team take the field Saturday, what are you personally most looking forward to showing the fan base?
Just the work that we’ve put in to change the narrative. Obviously, we’re all aware of the rich history Blacksburg has and that Virginia Tech football has. We want to show everybody — not just Blacksburg and the fan base, but the world — the work we’ve put in to change the narrative that has been placed upon us these past few years. We’re not the same team. We don’t approach things the same way, and excellence is the standard.
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