Entering Saturday, Virginia Tech football coach James Franklin has been busy adding players through the Transfer Portal. He had 12 commitments so far, and there was a common theme with most of them: Franklin and his staff were targeting players with multiple years of eligibility.
When it comes to a position of need for the Hokies, quarterback is one of them. Kyron Drones exhausted all of his eligibility, while Pop Watson and Garret Rangel ended up entering the Transfer Portal. That left a glaring need with just true freshmen Kelden Ryan and A.J. Brand remaining on the roster.
Earlier in the week, it appeared that Virginia Tech was closing in on a commitment from Penn State transfer quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, but nothing official has been announced. Still in need of a QB, the Hokies and quarterback coach Danny O'Brien picked up their first portal signal caller officially when they got a commitment from North Carolina transfer Bryce Baker.
UNC quarterback Bryce Baker commits to Virginia Tech
It was reported recently that Baker was on campus for a visit, and on Saturday, he committed to Virginia Tech with four years of eligibility remaining. A Top 15 quarterback coming out of high school, Baker went to UNC to play for Bill Belichick, but Franklin and O'Brien had recruited Baker out of high school, so there was a connection there, which made it clear that they would target some.
Baker is the 24th-ranked quarterback in the portal according to 247Sports and is a dual-threat QB. The question going forward will surround Grunkemeyer, as if he does come and commit to Virginia Tech, then he would likely be the starter, but with Baker, Ryan, Brand, and incoming freshman Troy Huhn behind him. That would be a very young QB room and a bright one for the future.