When you play major college football and have major buzz around your program, it can be easy to allow your mind to start to drift and dream. It's simple human nature for anything to think ahead about what might be next whether it's graduation for a college student or a potential promotion for a young professional, or retirement for someone nearing it, or your wedding day when you're a newly engaged couple.
That's even more tempting to do when you're playing major college athletics and know that you could be playing in games with serious national weight and impact. Virginia Tech certainly has that type of buzz around it following the hire of James Franklin as head coach.
That could make it tempting for VT to look ahead especially with a back-loaded schedule where VT could be in the ACC title and CFB Playoff picture going into games against the likes of Miami, Clemson, SMU, Georgia Tech, and Virginia.
However, there has been a clear message reiterated throughout the VT locker room about staying in the moment and not looking too far down the road.
That became clear when starting RB Marcellous Hawkins had this to say about what would define a successful 2026 season for Virginia Tech.
"A successful season is just the whole team just staying in a moment, just working hard every day, just coming in and being 1-0 every day. And I feel like everything else will control itself," Hawkins said.
