Hokies Practice Report: On DQ Smith, George Ballance Getting No. 25 All Season And More

Andy Bitter

Senior Staff Writer

September 02, 2026 13

Safety DQ Smith (numberless), who joined Virginia Tech on Tuesday, has a ramp-up process before he can play in games. (Ivan Morozov)

James Franklin said he sought clearance from the ACC, Virginia Tech’s administration and the team’s leadership council before pursuing former South Carolina safety DQ Smith, who joined the team’s roster Tuesday amid ongoing court proceedings that could affect his eligibility.

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13 Comments

Tallwino September 3, 2026 at 12:48 PM

Side note. Love that the header bar with sections listed stays in fixed position now.
RustyHokie94 September 3, 2026 at 8:13 AM

Laws is a massive dude.
Tidewater Hillbilly September 3, 2026 at 7:02 AM

The VT colors are chicago maroon and burnt orange. More "burnt" and less high-vis deer-hunting-vest brightness would be preferable if we do the monochrome look and it would differentiate us from the UVa reddish-orange and the Vol yellowish-orange. But, it's good to get the all-orange nastiness over with vs VMI, IMHO. You know, the NCAA recognizes that wearing duller/blending colors are an advantage on the field and they prohibit the wearing of any color that mimics the color of the turf for good reason. The opposite would be high-vis (deer-hunter) orange which is obviously among the colors most easy to see peripherally, which helps the defense more than the offense. How about we restrict the use of orange on uniforms to highlights and piping and such. (The maroon is just so far superior... Intimidating vs looking, well, clownish.!)
1. FCGOBBLER September 3, 2026 at 7:15 AM
  
  Take a deep breath, man.
2. DangerousCrowd September 3, 2026 at 8:40 AM
  
  I know green is not a Virginia Tech color, but has the team thought of wearing completely green uniforms? Green helmet, jersey, pants, cleats, gloves, etc. The offense would have a hard time seeing the defensive players. A surprise attack, like the Viet Cong. Something to think about.
  1. DGHOKIE September 3, 2026 at 11:12 AM
    
    View Congress wore black
3. I-W-K-Y-I-T-N September 3, 2026 at 9:29 AM
  
  You'll love my Cybertruck! Unfortunately i wont be there this weekend but look for me vs ODU and at MD.
4. VPI4Life September 3, 2026 at 10:14 AM
  
  I too prefer the burnt orange that was the original color used many years ago. Our modern uniforms have progressed to a brighter orange that is too similar to the Hoos.
5. GO_HOKIES_GO September 3, 2026 at 10:51 AM
  
  Completely agree - looking like Clemson or Tennessee is not anything to be happy about IMO.
6. DGHOKIE September 3, 2026 at 11:18 AM
  
  How about wearing Chicago Maroon and/or Burnt Orange? Black or white sometimes. Camo … leave it to da U
134064Hokie September 3, 2026 at 1:15 AM

I live in Knoxville. I have never liked seeing the Hokies in orange uniforms.
WOJO September 2, 2026 at 10:22 PM

Some surprising guys moving down the depth chart. I wonder if some are not fully healthy like Okunlola at DE and Mensah at DT I hope not Here’s to guys just improving and growing like Lynch, Johnson at DT and some others
Hokie2Architect September 2, 2026 at 10:03 PM

It’s game week Hokies! LFG!

Hokies Practice Report: On DQ Smith, George Ballance Getting No. 25 All Season And More

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