Virginia Tech QB Grant Wells named to preseason watch list

Eleven days before the Virginia Tech football team kicks off their season, quarterback Grant Wells was named on a prestigious preseason watch list for the second consecutive season.

Grant Wells was named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award

The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Unveiled its 2023 Watch List Tuesday and Wells was one of 32 quarterbacks named on the list. Here is how the committee selects the players before the season gets underway.

The preseason Watch List, semifinalists, finalists, and award recipient are selected by the distinguished Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Selection Committee, a group of prominent college football journalists, commentators, announcers, and former players. The award annually recognizes the top senior or upperclassman quarterback set to graduate with their class. This year’s watch list was selected based on career player performance and expectations heading into the 2023 college football season.

Wells was also on the watch list prior to the 2022 season he made 11 starts last season and he averaged 216.6 yards a game and 197.4 passing yards a game. He threw for 2,171 yards and nine touchdowns.

A senior, Wells is currently in a battle with Baylor transfer Kyron Drones for the starting spot, but it would be surprising to see coach Brent Pry not go with Wells. The West Virginia native is going to have to have a better 2023 season if the Hokies are going to improve on their 3-8 record from a year ago.

Other ACC quarterbacks named to the watch list include Brennan Armstrong of North Carolina State, Mitch Griffis of Wake Forest, Phil Jurkovec of Pittsburgh, Riley Leonard of Duke, Drake Maye of North Carolina, Garrett Shrader of Syracuse, and Jordan Travis of Florida State. Of the other ACC QBs on the list, the Hokies will play Jurkovec, who transferred to Pittsburgh from Boston College, Travis, Griffis, Shrader, and Armstrong.

Also on the list is Hudson Card of Purdue, who Virginia Tech will host in Week 2. It’s a safe bet that the quarterback talent the Hokies’ defense is going to face this season is going to be good and a stern test, as it enters the season with more questions than answers.