When Penn State tight end Luke Reynolds entered the NCAA transfer portal, his next destination was a foregone conclusion. Reynolds was close with new Virginia Tech coach James Franklin and offensive coordinator Ty Howle from their shared time at Penn State. After all, when Reynolds entered the portal, he held a âdo not contactâ tag.
On Sunday, Reynolds made it official: he was heading to the Hokies.
The 6-foot-4, 253-pound Reynolds was a 5-star prospect coming out of Cheshire Academy in Cheshire, Connecticut, in the 2024 recruiting class. Reynolds appeared in all 16 Penn State games as a true freshman, catching nine passes for 111 yards and one touchdown.
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A former high school quarterback, Reynolds moved to tight end as a senior and quickly became a sought-after prospect.
Reynoldsâ playing time increased in 2025, playing in 13 games, recording 26 receptions for 257 yards. Reynolds has two years of eligibility remaining. He joins a tight end room featuring former Penn State teammate Matt Henderson and returning starter Benji Gosnell. Virginia Tech went from having a questionable tight ends room to one of the NCAAâs best. Howle coached tight ends at Penn State and will do so in Blacksburg, in addition to being the offensive coordinator. Howle is considered one of the countryâs top tight end coaches.
The tight end position is expected to be prominently featured in 2026, which should be music to the ears of Gosnell, who was criminally underused in 2025.
Sunday was a huge day for the Hokies, adding five players from the portal, including four from Penn State. Overall, Tech added eight players over the last two days.
