Virginia Tech football: Hokies name Grant Wells starting quarterback

There was little mystery surrounding Virginia Tech’s decision at starting quarterback. Head coach Brent Pry said he’d like to name a starter two weeks ago. Pry made it official on Wednesday, naming Marshall transfer Grant Wells as Virginia Tech’s starting quarterback.

Pry met with the media and was asked if he had decided on a starter after Saturday’s scrimmage and said the following, per hokiesports.com.

We are going to name a starter. We met with Grant [Wells] and Jason [Brown] and let them both know that Grant would be our starting quarterback. Jason made it difficult. He had a great summer and a really good camp. I was proud of the way he competed. I feel very fortunate to have a No. 1 like Grant, who has had an exceptional camp and has been very accurate with great ball placement and showed great decision making, and then to have a guy like Jason on the ready when we need him. He just makes plays, is a big body and was much better throwing the football this camp. But moving forward, Grant is our guy.

Wells essentially won the job in the spring after outperforming Brown. However, Brown was much better in fall camp, tightening the gap, but it was clear the coaches liked where Wells was and wanted to see where he could lead them. The good news is the Hokies have an experienced backup in Brown who can come in and win games. And if Wells struggles at any time, Brown will be ready to play.

In three years at Marshall, Wells appeared in 24 games, including 23 in the past two seasons. He redshirted in 2019. Wells completed 460 passes in 714 attempts, a rate of 64.4%, and passed for 5,626 yards with 34 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. He also rushed for nine touchdowns. Wells’ mobility is often underrated.

As a redshirt freshman at Marshall, Wells was named first-team All-Conference USA, becoming the first freshman passer ever to earn that distinction.

The Hokies open the season on Friday, Sept. 2, at Old Dominion.