At this time last year, it was announced that Kyron Drones and Pop Watson were returning to Virginia Tech for the 2025 season. Drones ended up missing the Duke's Mayo Bowl back in January because of an injury, while Watson and UCLA transfer Collin Schlee each took snaps against Minnesota.
Schlee was out of eligibility, and that forced former head coach Brent Pry to hit the portal for another quarterback in the spring after Davi Belfort also hit the portal in the spring window. Virginia Tech ended up getting a commitment from Oklahoma State signal-caller Garret Rangel. On Wednesday, it was reported by Kolby Crawford of VT Scoop that he's entering the Transfer Portal again.
Virginia Tech QB Garret Rangel is entering the Transfer Portal
Rangel didn't see any action this season in Blacksburg under Pry or Philip Montgomery. He will have one more year of eligibility remaining. A native of Frisco, Texas, Rangel played in 13 games, starting four under former Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. He threw for 1,075 yards and six touchdowns for the Cowboys.
Drones got most of the snaps this season for the Hokies, with Watson playing some, including a touchdown pass against Miami last month in the final home game of the season.
As far as the quarterback situation goes for 2026, as of now, Watson has not announced a decision on his future, nor have true freshmen A.J. Brand or Kelden Ryan. New coach James Franklin will likely bring in a seasoned QB from the Transfer Portal to start next season. He does have incoming freshman Troy Huhn committed.
There have been some quarterbacks who have already announced that they are entering the portal, and Franklin will not have a shortage of signal callers to choose from. Virginia Tech's increased budget will be put to the test when it comes time to get players out of the portal.