Virginia Tech Football: 3 burning questions as spring practices begin

How does the backup QB battle play out?

One of the more interesting battles in spring ball is going to be the spot to back up Kyron Drones at quarterback. Last season, the Baylor transfer beat out freshman William “Pop” Watson for the spot behind Grant Wells and we saw how valuable it was to have a backup ready to step in and take snaps after Wells was injured in Week 2 at home against Purdue. Offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen said that Drones is going to get the majority of the snaps with the ones and that Watson and Dylan Wittke will split between the twos and threes.

"Yeah, Kyron's going to get the ones reps and continue with the continuity, the development, the operation of what we're doing offensively. But I'm excited of the way William "Pop" Watson III and Dylan Wittke have competed during Phase One. And those guys will get an even split. Some days guys going with the twos, some days that rotating back with the threes to make sure that they're getting reps with the right guys so we can make a true evaluation"

- Tyler Bowen

This is certainly something to keep an eye on as whoever emerges as the backup to Drones will likely have the inside track the following season. Incoming freshman Davi Belfort will be in Blacksburg over the summer when camp officially begins as he is recovering from surgery and will miss spring ball. Watson is the former Gatorade Player of the Year in Massachusetts and is another duel-threat QB who has a big arm.