What to Watch For in the 2026 Virginia Tech Spring Game

Perhaps the most straightforward positional battle to pay attention to during the Spring Game will be wide receivers versus defensive backs. It does not require much insight to tell whether a defensive back got burned by the opposing receiver or vice versa. The important thing to watch offensively will be how Tech’s lack of depth at receiver shows up in this Spring Game. The Hokies do return a few pieces at receiver, including Ayden Greene and Takye Heath, but will be forced to play a lot of youth as depth pieces. Former quarterback AJ Brand is making the transition to receiver this season, as James Franklin announced a few weeks ago, so he will be a big name to watch on Saturday to see how he handles that transition in a live game-setting. Also look for Shamarius “Snook” Peterkin to take another step forward, hopefully having put on some additional size in the weight room this offseason, as well as Keylen “Brodie” Adams, who is coming off a season-ending injury prior to last season; both players reportedly have taken several steps forward in their development this spring, which is a great sign for the receiver room overall. We will see how they handle live reps, though, as live competition often will bring out the best and the worst in these younger players. For the Spring Game, I am watching to see if these guys are able to create space for themselves, as well as how many ‘yards after catch’ they are able to attain.