Virginia Tech's transfer class earns a B- at midseason, led by Grunkemeyer and Reynolds

Virginia Tech's first transfer class under James Franklin has earned a B- at the season's halfway point. The grades come from Virginia Tech Hokies On SI, where Lucas Boyd went through the portal haul one position at a time. He wrote that the group has met expectations and has gone beyond them in some areas. The Hokies are 4-2 going into Saturday's home game against Georgia Tech.

The passing game drives the high grades. Former Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer has started all six games. He leads the ACC with 1,734 passing yards and has 16 total touchdowns, 12 passing and four rushing, against two interceptions. His 73.1% completion rate ranks third among ACC quarterbacks. North Carolina transfer Bryce Baker has played in two games as the backup and has completed 11 of 14 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown. The quarterback room received an A.

Tight end Luke Reynolds, another Penn State transfer, received the class's only A+. The SI site called his start "nothing short of incredible." Reynolds leads all FBS tight ends with 41 catches for 431 yards and has four touchdowns. Duke transfer Que'Sean Brown has become the top wide receiver, with 40 catches for a team-high 434 yards. That includes a seven-catch, 147-yard game in the loss to Pitt. The receiver group got a B+.

On defense, the six edge rushers Franklin brought in received an A-. Cortez Harris has started every game and has five sacks, second on the team. Mylachi Williams has 7.5 tackles for loss and three sacks on 117 snaps. Linebacker Keon Wylie got an A after recording 26 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack, a fumble recovery and three pass breakups.

The rest of the class drew lower marks. The offensive line got a C+. Ohio State transfer Justin Terry started the first three games before a serious lower leg injury against Maryland. Michael Troutman III has taken over at left guard, and Logan Howland made his first start at Pitt. The defensive line got a C-, the secondary a C and special teams a C+. The lowest grade, a D-, went to running back. Louisiana-Lafayette transfer Bill Davis, the only addition at the position, has not played because of an undisclosed injury.

The midseason review follows two losses in three weeks. Virginia Tech lost to Pitt, then fell 25-20 at California. Its last drive in that game reached the Cal 7-yard line before stalling. Georgia Tech (2-3) visits Lane Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EDT on ACC Network. The Hokies are favored at -335 on Novig, one of the venues listing the game. The spread is Virginia Tech -10.5 with a total of 56.5. DraftKings lists the Hokies at -375, the best sportsbook price on them.

With Grunkemeyer, Reynolds and Brown producing, the offense has been the most reliable part of the team so far. Franklin is still looking for steadier play from his new offensive linemen and defensive backs before the second half of the season.