Way-Too-Early 2026 Virginia Tech Football Preview and Prediction: Week 2, vs. Old Dominion

After Virginia Tech football faces VMI in its season opener, it remains in Blacksburg to host Old Dominion in a potential trap game Sept. 12. The Hokies hold a 4-3 record over Old Dominion, though last year’s matchup marked a critical point in the last half-decade — or perhaps further — of Virginia Tech football.

The Hokies fell behind the 8-ball quickly and never recovered, letting the Monarchs run and throw amok to a 28-0 halftime lead. Virginia Tech trailed by as many as 31 and thinned the margin to 19 with as many points in the fourth quarter, losing 45-26. The next day, the Hokies fired head coach Brent Pry. Just under tow months later, Virginia Tech hired new head whistle James Franklin from Penn State.

The truth, however, is that both teams look radically different. The Hokies will start a new signal-caller — almost certainly redshirt sophomore Ethan Grunkemeyer, who followed Franklin from Penn State — though they return several experienced options at wideout and running back in senior WR Ayden Greene, redshirt senior RB Marcellous Hawkins and redshirt freshman RB Jeffrey Overton Jr.

Old Dominion, however, returns a scant total from its 2025 roster. Gone is ODU’s starting quarterback in 2025, Colton Joseph, who was whisked away to the Big Ten to join the Wisconsin Badgers for this upcoming season. Joseph threw for 2,624 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The dual-threat signal-caller, who was named the Sun Belt offensive Player of the Year, also rushed for 1,007 rushing yards on 158 carries, scoring 13 times on the ground.

In his stead, Old Dominion does not yet have a definitive answer. Sophomore Quinn Henicle returns after logging 184 passing yards on a 17-for-40 rate in 2025. He served more as a pure runner, logging 209 rushing yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns on 44 carries.

Old Dominion also lost its top running back: Trequan Jones. The 5-foot-9 tailback raced off for 792 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns on 105 totes. He initially committed to Maryland — the school the Hokies will play in Week 3 (Sept. 19) in their first road game of the season — on Jan. 4, but pulled his commitment 11 days later, per 247Sports. On Jan. 26, Jones committed to Tulsa.

Running back Devin Roche is the lone returner from last year’s starting lineup; the then-redshirt sophomore tabbed 630 rushing yards and four scores for 5.7 yards a carry. Roche rolled up yard totals of 145 and 137 agaisnt Troy and Georgia State, respectively.

Like quarterback and running back, the wide receiver room saw a plethora of turnover. Leading receiver Tre’ Brown III (762 receiving yards, four receiving touchdowns on 38 receptions) left for LSU, while Ja’Cory Thomas went to Vanderbilt and Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding ventured to Maryland, where he’ll play the Hokies a week after Old Dominion does.

It’s a telling note that Old Dominion’s top returning receiving production comes from wideout Sidney Mbanasor, who logged 68 receiving yards on six catches. Getting to Mbanasor means passing four wideouts who all left, plus a running back and tight end who are no longer with the program. Those six players — Brown III, Thomas, Abdul-Rahim Gladding, running back Ketravion Hargrove and tight end Dawson Johnson — accounted for a whopping 2,523 receiving yards out of ODU’s total of 2,813.

As aforementioned, Old Dominion returns only one of its 11 offensive starters, resulting in an aura of mystique but also trepidation. The Monarchs will not feature a signal-caller with extended experience, but neither will the Hokies. Grunkemeyer has only started seven games in his college career (all from last season), while UNC transfer Bryce Baker, redshirt freshman returnee Kelden Ryan and true freshman Troy Huhn all have never seen game action.

VirginiaTech can, and should, take care of business, but the pitfall of facing Old Dominion has been a historical road block. In then-head coach Brent Pry’s first year at the helm of the Hokies, Virginia Tech lost 20-17 to the Monarchs, conceding 10 fourth-quarter points to fall in Norfolk.

This time around, Virginia Tech should have enough to outlast the Monarchs, though things could get chippy.

Virginia Tech’s game against Old Dominion is set to be on Saturday, September 12, at noon ET. The game is currently set to be shown on The CW.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 35, Old Dominion 21