The Virginia Tech spring game was supposed to be the beginning of a new chapter for a struggling football program, a scrimmage that could offer a reset after a 3-9 season that saw coach Brent Pry ousted after the school started 0-3 last fall. Now under the stewardship of new coach James Franklin, the Hokies would be entering a … wait, hold on. Aw shit. There's a skydiver stuck on the video board.
Guy parachuting into Virginia Tech Spring game is stuck on the scoreboard after rough collision. #oops pic.twitter.com/2smQ30FAxN
— JIMMY (@yakubbsmonster) April 18, 2026
Saturday's game at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg opened with the all-too-familiar pairing of college football and military-coded Americana, as skydivers descended over the stadium with American flags clipped to their gear. Video clips from social media show one of the skydivers clearing the video board. The slow simmer of annoyance over pregame festivities halting the actual start of a game turned into anxiety as another skydiver, seemingly caught in erratic winds over the field, drifted closer and closer to peril before colliding with the Jumbotron, left dangling by their chute as the words "This Is Home" blazed across the screen.
Fortunately, local emergency services crews were able to get on the scene quickly and help the skydiver reach safety … hold on. What? You gotta be shitting me. The ladder wasn't tall enough?
Then the first ladder truck that showed up, that just kinda wiggled around for ~5-10 min before realizing it wasnt gonna work and leaving pic.twitter.com/Nz3zoEL9OG
— JIMMY (@yakubbsmonster) April 18, 2026
It's important to note here that this story ended well, at least for the person who jumped out of the plane. According to Virginia Tech's athletic department, "the skydiver was safely secured and is currently stable. Our primary focus remains on their well-being."
The status of the football program is another matter entirely. This is the first season under Franklin, who received a 5-year $41 million contract to coach the Hokies after getting fired from the head job at Penn State after starting last season 3-3, including a spectacle of a loss to a winless UCLA team. I'm sure omens and superstitions mean nothing in the world of college football, but maybe leave the pregame shenanigans out for a while. Better to not be associated with the Jaxon de Ville's of the world.
