Virginia Tech football: Brent Pry will wait until the fall to name a quarterback

The Virginia Tech Hokies held their spring game Saturday at Lane Stadium, and the energy in Blacksburg was off the charts. The stadium was packed, some of Virginia Tech’s most famous football alums were in town and new head coach Brent Pry had everyone excited.

There are lots of questions surrounding the 2022 Virginia Tech roster. There’s no bigger question than at quarterback, where a pair of transfers are competing to be Virginia Tech’s starting quarterback in 2022.

Marshall transfer Grant Wells and South Carolina transfer Jason Brown were the team’s starting quarterbacks Saturday for the Maroon and White squads, respectively.

In the first half, Wells stood out with two big touchdown passes to Kaleb Smith, giving the Maroon squad a 19-0 halftime lead. Things weren’t as easy for Brown — but that requires context.

When you judge one player, you must consider the group he is playing with, which goes for other quarterbacks. And also, you must consider which defensive players each quarterback faces. The rosters were mixed, so it wasn’t strictly first-team players vs. second-team players, but Wells’ Maroon roster did have more starting players on the offensive and defensive lines.

In saying that, Wells did some great things. He showed plenty of mobility, which is a plus, and his arm talent is significant. On the two big throws to Smith, Wells put them on the money. Other throws would concern you if this were a real game. Wells has a terrific arm, and he’s fearless. That can be good and bad.

Brown had his moments, too, but he was often running for his life to extend plays. Sure, he couldn’t be hit, but the pressure was in his face, forcing him to make quicker decisions. Brown did some good things, but on one specific play where he rolled to his left to escape pressure, he just missed a wide-open receive. That’s ok; this is spring football.

Afterward, head coach Brent Pry praised Wells but was not ready to name a starting quarterback.

“I thought Grant (Wells) played awful well today,” Pry said per Austin Nivison of 247Sports. “Did some good things. Obviously, Jason (Brown), the offensive line, struggled a little bit for the White group. Made it tough on Jason. Grant obviously threw some good balls. We’ll evaluate the film and continue to work through the summer. We’ll take that competition into preseason camp.”

That’s the correct call. You can’t get too high or too low based on an intra-squad scrimmage. There is plenty of time for Pry to name a starting quarterback. Give each of the players an entire fall camp to determine the starter. Both players offer positives and while most fans will call for Wells to start based on the spring game, remember, the coaches see every snap, every day of practice.

Let’s relax and trust Coach Pry and his staff on this one.

It was a fun day for Virginia Tech football. The first of, hopefully, many to come.