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To put it plainly, Virginia Tech football head coach James Franklin has run his fair share of fall camps. It’d be a surprise if, in year 16 as a Division I head coach, he overhauled the goals, structure or focus of the month leading up to his first season in Blacksburg.
Talking to a series of coaches and players at Virginia Tech football’s media day on Sunday, that rings true … mostly. Penn State transfers and imported coaches say the nucleus of fall camp and the offseason at large is the same as what they experienced in State College: attention to detail, consistency, accountability and, most crucially, a demanding and intentionally difficult environment.
However, Franklin has said it himself this offseason: He’s not the same coach he was a year ago. There’s a chip on his shoulder and a deliberate effort to pivot from a disappointing final year with the Nittany Lions. To that end, fall camp can’t be, and isn’t, the exact same — the changes are just hidden in the minutiae.
“For him not to have changed something would have been unlike his character,” said redshirt junior linebacker Keon Wylie, who spent the last four seasons with Franklin. “He came with something to prove, trying to light a fire under everybody.”
“[Franklin] is very intentional about, what are the staples, the non-negotiables … being on time, being tough, being disciplined — those things haven’t changed,” said quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien. “But there are tweaks here and there. He’s evolved in his own way.”
But, as O’Brien and others explained, the calendar, the summer OTA model and, most notably, the team’s approach to sports science have all advanced. The latter came up the most on Sunday by a wide margin, coupled with the name Shaun Huls, Virginia Tech football’s new director of sports science, who spent the last 13 years in similar roles in the NFL.
“He’s done an amazing job,” Hokies quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer said of Huls. “He makes sure we’re practicing smart, but makes sure we’re going as hard as we can because the games are going to be hard.”
Grunkemeyer said he has worked closely with Huls since the summer. Put in his own words, “targeting deficiencies and learning about how my body moves.”
That can look like mobility limitations, asymmetries between sides of his body and inefficient — and therefore unnecessary — movements. Other times, it’s more understated refinements that Franklin has embraced at Huls’ recommendation.
“A difference between last year [at Penn State] is, we have a little bit more time off,” said Nittany Lions transfer cornerback Kenny Woseley Jr. “But it’s not just time off, it’s time to recover.”
Though historically a traditionalist football mind, Franklin is steering away from a “more is better” philosophy that can lead to overloading players’ bodies before the grueling season. Of course, practice is still unforgiving, but how the players treat their bodies when they’re not moving is equally important, whether that’s at home or between reps.
“We’re more in tune with our bodies,” said another Penn State transfer, receiver Tyseer Denmark. “[Franklin] cares more about our wear and tear, and he’ll adjust practice based off how we’re doing. He listens to our feedback more. That’s one thing that I like that he’s changed.”
Hokies defensive coordinator Brent Pry has been away from Franklin for a while, but he’s noticed it too. He said fall camp is still “process-oriented,” but that Franklin has clearly grown over the last four seasons from a sports science standpoint.
“We’re more intent on how we practice, how long we’re out there, how many reps in this period, how many reps in that period,” Pry said. “I think the sports science and analytics piece, he’s embraced that, but we’re rolling like we’ve done for a lot of years.”
Franklin has also made substantial changes to his preseason scheduling, making good on his promise to shift to NFL-style OTAs; a change that has allowed the Hokies to carry more of their installation work into summer, making for a more game-ready approach to fall camp.
“We’re spending less time saying, ‘Hey, what are these plays?'” O’Brien said. “With them being here in the summer and having OTAs and being able to kind of grow from spring ball with a new format, I really do feel like we hit the ground running from where we left off in the summer.”
According to O’Brien, a big benefit to that is extra time dedicated to details and situational football — good news for a program trying to turn the page on chronic one-score losses.
“Now in fall, you’re taking a deeper dive into the why behind some plays,” O’Brien said. “You’re adding more situational awareness, like what’s the down and distance? Is it a two-minute drill? Is it a four-minute drill? What’s the score?”
More of the finer points — the lifting schedule, practice structure, how certain days of the week are used — have been tweaked too, but players and coaches who haven’t yet had the Franklin preseason experience said the efficiency and attention to detail are unlike anything they’ve ever seen.
“We get more reps than anywhere I’ve been,” said special teams coordinator Doug Shearer, who was previously in the same role at Connecticut. “Not just on special teams, but offense and defense were really big into two spotting things … I think it helps our players get better faster.”
“The operation in fall camp is a big difference,” said receiver Ayden Greene, who has spent the last three years at Tech under Pry. “The attention to detail has for sure been more of a focus this year between [Pry and Franklin].”
Defensive lineman Kemari Copeland echoed that sentiment, adding that Franklin’s energy in fall, while less calculated than Pry’s more relaxed approach, makes for a more fiery environment.
However, regardless of the drastic changes around the program over the last year, both players say their preseason mindset is the same as it’s always been.
“At the end of the day, fall camp is fall camp,” Greene said. “We’re using these practices as preparation for games, not just getting through a three-hour practice … The whole idea [with Franklin] is we’re out here to win — win with first strings, second strings, third strings. We’ve been playing real well. I know we’ll be good this year.”
Great read. If this is the type of content Tkp is churning out this season, then I’m so here for it.
Love that our coaches are (finally) taking a data-centric mindset
Bluesky me
ive always said that the sports science approach is something VT should always embrace and be at the forefront as it would give VT an edge that others arent ready to embrace.
It’s like Beamerball was. Be the first to get results in a different way and reap the rewards until everyone else figures out how it can win games.
Reel men fish on Wednesdays
Sports are very conservative(not talking politics) so many dont use analytics or would play for ties if still allowed. They dont want to win they want to not lose. Look at how many coaches mess up the 2 minute drill and dont hire some one to fix it. You can get a huge advantage because everyone is so unwilling to change.
Great article Dylan. Really enjoyable piece of work.
Mastery of balancing working hard and smart pays off in dividends. It’s as much an art as it is a science.
This brings me more confidence in the mental, physical, psychological, and mechanical development a team needs in order to compete at a top level.
JMFF and staff keep on keeping on.
“We’ve been playing real well. I know we’ll be good this year.”

To quote the Brothers Osborne: “I’m Good For Some But I’m Not For Everyone”
Well done, Dylan…very much appreciated!

Great article
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