There is a dirty little secret about the 2025 Virginia Tech football season. The rushing offense, particularly down the stretch, was very effective. Unfortunately, without a big play threat or competent passing game, one mistake or penalty would derail a drive. James Franklin's first order of business was to establish a complimentary offense that could deliver situational efficiency to Blacksburg.
At Penn State, Franklin benefitted from world class tailback and tight end play. A conga line of offensive coordinators structured an offense that hammered the defense with the run game and then moved the tight end around to generate matchup issues. New quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer played his best when he utilized slow developing play-action to Trebor Pena for big plays and complimented those plays with misdirection passes to his tight ends. Both of those strategies require strong threats in the run game. Let's take a look at who delivers those elements to this Hokies roster.
The Impact of Luke Reynolds on the Offense
The presence of Luke Reynolds on this offense can't be overstated. He was used in motion as an H-Back and he aligned as a slot receiver. He made a ridiculous one-handed catch up the seam, and displayed impressive ability to run after the catch on several bootlegs. You can see much of the same skillset at Tyler Warren flashed under Ty Howle's direction at Penn State. But perhaps what was most impressive to me was how he influenced the defense.
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