Virginia Tech Football: Hokies QB depth chart at Marshall looks grim

At the beginning of the season, Virginia Tech football coach Brent Pry announced that senior Grant Wells was going to be his starting quarterback. That lasted almost two full games when in reality it maybe should have lasted just a game and a half. At the end of the second quarter against Purdue on Sept. 9, Wells suffered an ankle injury, but Pry kept him in there for the second half.

On the Hokies’ final drive and trailing the Boilermakers 24-17, Pry turned to sophomore transfer Kyron Drones and he moved Virginia Tech from their own 9-yard line and into Purdue territory. They ended up turning the ball over on downs, but it was the best-looking drive of the half for the Hokies and it makes you wonder if he played the whole second half, could they have won the game?

Last week at Rutgers, Drones started and played well in the Tech loss, and going into this weekend’s non-conference matchup with Marshall on the road, it’s likely going to be Drones again, but the depth chart under center got smaller and it looks like the Hokies could be in trouble if anything happens to him.

Virginia Tech QB depth looks grim going to Marshall

Drones took all of the snaps at practice Wednesday and appears to be in line for his second career start for Virginia Tech. Wells was limited and according to Andy Bitter of Tech Sideline reported freshman Dylan Wittke worked with the second team. That left one question, where was freshman Pop Watson?

Last weekend against Rutgers, Watson was the backup for Drones and the 2022 Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year at Springfield Central High School was not at practice. Pry said that Watson was suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules. That’s not good.

If that’s the case, then the Hokies will enter the matchup with the Thundering Hurd with Drones as the likely starter and Wittke as the backup? If Watson isn’t available and Wells is limited with an injury, then Virginia Tech would have to play a freshman on the road. Yikes.

Virginia Tech’s depth is being tested all over their depth chart this season. Wide receivers, defensive backs, and linebackers just to name a few. Now, the most important position on the field has the starter from the first game injured, his backup playing, his backup suspended indefinitely, and Wittke getting ready to play in an emergency. If things were not starting to look grim for Pry and the Hokies before this, they sure are now. Keeping Drones healthy on Saturday might be the only way disaster doesn’t strike Tech and it’s only Week 4.