We are still a couple of weeks away from the craziness of the Transfer Portal opening in early January. There are already several players who have announced their intentions to enter the portal, or it has been reported that they are going to go into the portal.
As far as Virginia Tech and new coach James Franklin are concerned, there are going to be multiple needs in the portal, including a quarterback. Kyron Drones is out of eligibility, Oklahoma State transfer Garret Rangel is entering the portal, and Pop Watson is the only returning player, for now, who has any experience. They also have freshmen A.J. Brand and Kelden Ryan on the roster.
It remains to be seen what happens with them and what the future is for them in Blacksburg, but here are five quarterbacks that Franklin and QB coach Danny O'Brien can target next month.
5 Virginia Tech QB Transfer Portal targets
Sam Leavitt: Arizona State
There is no connection to Virginia Tech, but Leavitt would be a big addition for the Hokies. Franklin is going to have some to use this offseason, and Leavitt is a quarterback who is going to generate a lot of interest. This would be a better addition than what they had in Drones this season.
Colton Joseph: Old Dominion
Virginia Tech got a close-up look at Joseph and just how good he is this season. He is a true dual-threat QB as he threw for 2,624 yards and 21 touchdowns for the Monarchs and rushed for 1,007 yards and 13 touchdowns. Against the Hokies, he threw for 272 yards and a pair of touchdowns while rushing for 63 yards and a touchdown in the 45-26 win that ended Pry's tenure as head coach in Week 3. There are going to be a lot of programs in the mix for Joseph.
DJ Lagway: Florida
This seems like a dream, but hey, who knows? He struggled at times under Billy Napier at Florida, but there is no doubting the talent that Lagway has. He threw for 2,264 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He had a huge backend of the 2024 season that rallied the Gators to a bowl game and saved Napier's job for another year. Again, this feels like a dream, but anything is possible.
Kenny Minchey: Notre Dame
Minchey lost the starting job at Notre Dame this year, but he would have started at a lot of other schools and is ready to step in and start in 2026. He played sparingly for the Irish this year, throwing for 196 yards and going 20-for-26. He also. rushed for 84 yards on seven carries. Again, he competed for the starting job for the Irish and was a backup on a 10-2 team. Michney is another signal caller who will be highly sought after next month.
Beau Pribula: Missouri
Out of all these names, this one feels like the most realistic. He started out at Penn State with O'Brien and Franklin before going to Missouri for the 2025 season. Under Eli Drinkwitz, he threw for 1,941 yards for the Tigers in 2025 and nine touchdowns. There a going to be several options for Franklin and O'Brien, but they know what they have in Pribula. It wouldn't be surprising to see this gain some traction in January.