Virginia Tech football: Fuente names Josh Jackson starting quarterback

The Virginia Tech Hokies open the season in a few short weeks with a trip to Tallahassee to face the Florida State Seminoles. Now, the Hokies know who will be under center for the season opener as head coach Justin Fuente named sophomore Josh Jackson the starter.

Fuente, per Mike Barber of the Richmond Times-Dispatch explained his decision.

Josh, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he’s the starter. We divvied up reps and gave everybody an opportunity and we still feel like Josh is the best one for us. And Josh has never batted an eye for us when we handled it like that. He hasn’t changed the way he’s gone about things. He’s earned that opportunity and he’ll be the guy.

This was expected. And, quite frankly, it’s the correct decision. Redshirt freshman Herndon Hooker isn’t close to starting right now. True freshman Quincy Patterson just arrived on campus, but certainly looks the part. Jackson is Tech’s most consistent—and battle-tested—passer right now and should be the starter.

At times last season, Jackson looked really good. However, as the season progressed, Jackson regressed. We later learned he was batting a shoulder injury and the offense had no running game behind him. Overall, it was a pretty solid debut campaign for Jackson.

The Hokies face a tough test to open the season. Bud Foster is replacing eight starters on defense. Offensively, Jackson will have a plethora of talented weapons around him. They’ll just be a really young group. Fortunately, the starting quarterback will be experienced.

Now, with Jackson named the starter, Tech can officially look ahead to the Seminoles.