A parachuter is recovering after crashing into Virginia Tech’s scoreboard at Lane Stadium on Saturday prior to the Hokies’ spring game.
Video showed the parachuter, who was carrying an American flag prior to kickoff, failed to avoid the top of the north end zone’s scoreboard. High winds caused the parachuter — who was jumping in tandem with another skydiver — to misalign entry, which was intended to be on the field.
Virginia Tech first-year coach James Franklin opened his postgame presser by acknowledging the unexpected and terrifying situation.
“Happy that the skydiver is OK,” Franklin reported. “You guys (media) were obviously able to see that a little bit more than we did, but most importantly, he’s okay. Wanted to thanks all the first responders for how they handled it, too.
“For us in the locker room, it was an opportunity to be honest with you to talk about … I’ve been part of a 3.5-hour weather delay, so you focus on the things you can control. That wasn’t one of them. To be honest with you, it was an opportunity for us to practice on something like that may come up, whether it was weather or whatever it was.”
Virginia Tech’s video board is an independently erected structure that sits about 100 feet beyond the stadium seats with a walkway below.
The start of Virginia Tech’s final spring scrimmaged was delayed for over an hour after emergency personnel pulled the parachuter down from the video board by using a crane. Video showed the parachuter hit between the letters ‘C’ and ‘H’ and caused damage.
The parachuter reportedly was seen with his arm in a sling after the event, but did not suffer serious injury.
Virginia Tech athletics wrote on X that the university was “grateful to report the skydiver was safely secured and is currently stable. Our primary focus remains on their well-being. We extend our sincere appreciation to the first responders, event staff, and medical personnel for their swift, coordinated and professional response.”
The Virginia Tech Police Department told various news organizations that the parachuter did not require hospitalization or further treatment and that the situation was resolved.
Franklin era begins for Hokies
The pre-game incident was an unplanned and jarring beginning to the Franklin era in Blacksburg as the Hokies wrapped up spring drills in front of a record crowd for a scrimmage at Lane Stadium.
Franklin addressed Virginia Tech fans during the middle of the scrimmage and reported he anticipated this team to “shock the world” this season in the ACC.
The Hokies brought 49 new players in this offseason, including a bevy of Penn State talent who followed Franklin to his new job, including projected starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer. Virginia Tech’s 2026 recruiting class was top 25 nationally and the program earmarked heavy resources toward its transfer haul.
Franklin expanded on those confident remarks after the Maroon’s 30-21 win in the scrimmage.
“There’s an excitement right now, and we want to keep that excitement going,” Franklin reported. We have been fortunate to be a part of two turnarounds in two different conferences, and we plan on doing that again, and this place knows what it looks like. They’ve done it before. That’s what this whole re-establishment is about. And for us to go where we want to go, that’s going to take the players, the coaches. That’s going to take the community, that’s going to take the fans, that’s going to take the lettermen.
“We had a bunch of Lettermen show up today, but we got a chance to do something very special here. We’re not going to hide from that, and we’re going to need everybody to understand and buy into that, for us to go where we want to go. The positivity in this town and the excitement in this town right now is infectious. It affects our players, it affects our coaches, it affects recruits, and it’s going to make for a very difficult environment for people to come and play in. So, we’re not going to shy away from those things. We came here to do something special, and with a great group of guys in the locker room that have bought into what we’re doing.”
Virginia Tech opens the season Sept. 5 at home against VMI.
