During his four-plus seasons at Virginia Tech, Brent Pry certainly had his ups and downs at times. However, one position that had questions surrounding it and needed to be a good position was at quarterback.
Technically, four quarterbacks started for Virginia Tech during Pry's tenure in Blacksburg, and they all had different outcomes. Some may have deserved more playing time before hitting the Transfer Portal than others, but the jury will remain out on that for a while. Here are the three starting quarterbacks during Pry's tenure ranked. Again, each of these players started at least one game.
Ranking the three quarterbacks who started for Virginia Tech under Brent Pry
4. Collin Schlee
A transfer from UCLA to backup Drones in 2024, Collin Schlee was pressed into action down the stretch after injuries to Drones shut his season down. He, too, was injured aaginst Duke, which led to a third quarterback change in one season for Pry.
3. Pop Watson
There is no doubt that Pop Watson deserved more playing time during his time in Blacksburg. The former Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year hit the portal after the 2025 season to take over the reins at UMass. However, he had ACC talent, and it was proven with his start against Virginia in 2024. With Kyron Drones and Schlee injured, Watson led the Hokies to a bowl-eligible win over the Cavaliers Thanksgiving Weekend. He sat behind Drones, but there was no doubt he deserved more playing time.
2. Grant Wells
When Grant Wells transferred from Marshall to Virginia Tech, he became the starter in 2022. He threw for 2,171 yards, nine touchdowns, and had nine interceptions in 11 games. He returned in 2023 and suffered an injury against Purdue in Week 2, which basically ended his tenure in Blacksburg. He returned in November and played in three games in mop-up time, but sticking with Drones that season was the right call by Pry.
1. Kyron Drones
Speaking of Drones, there is no surprise that he lands at the top of this list, but let's face it, more was expected from him once he took over in 2023 against Purdue. He was very good in the second half of the season and helped to spark a turnaround to help the Hokies become bowl-eligible. He returned for what was supposed to be a big 2024 season in Blacksburg, but injuries hampered his season down the stretch, which handed the keys to Schlee and Watson.
Drones battled through a frustrating final season in 2025 for Virginia Tech that saw Pry fired after Week 3, and he gutted it out under interim coach Philip Montgomery. He ended up signing as an undrafted free agent with the Green Bay Packers following the 2026 NFL Draft.
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