On Wednesday, Virginia Tech announced the quarterback competition has been narrowed down, with Grant Wells and Jason Brown receiving "the bulk of the reps."
Tahj Bullock and Devin Farrell are behind the two, while Connor Blumrick has transitioned to the tight end room.
"Like we talked about from the beginning, it was tough getting six guys reps," quarterbacks coach Brad Glenn said on Wednesday. "We had to be creative with that early on, which I think we did a pretty good job of. And kind of as we’ve gone along, we’ve narrowed it down to maybe four guys during the scrimmage the other day getting reps. ... But obviously it’s still an open contest. We’re nine practices in. We still have two scrimmages to look at, so we’re still evaluating things every day."
Out of the four, Wells and Brown are the two QBs with experience, which Glenn said has set them apart. Brown started at St. Francis (Pa.) before transferring to South Carolina; Wells was a two-year starter at Marshall. Glenn said "you can't replicate game experience," which is something both possess.
That's important when it comes to learning a new system. The entire coaching staff is installing a new playbook with different terminology on both sides of the ball, and experience gives Wells and Brown a leg up. Glenn said he's looking for the guys to process information quickly, and he compared learning the position to flying a plane.
"You’ve got all these gadgets and instruments and chaos going on around you," Glenn said. "But you’ve got to know where to look and what gauges and switches to flip, so to speak, and I think with Grant and Jason, with the experience we talk about, [they're] doing a good job with that right now."
Glenn also brought up "the other 22," in relation to a quarterback's learning curve. There are 24 hours in a day, and the QBs spend about two hours practicing. How they're spending their time in the other 22 hours is crucial, especially when trying to learn a new system. Glenn said he's "throwing everything at them" throughout spring practice.
"We’ve had eight or nine installs," Glenn said. "So we’re not babying them at all. And just been super impressed with the group as a whole the way they’ve been able to take all that, because it’s all new to them. ... So just the entire group from top to bottom to be able to process and handle all that like they have, I’ve been super impressed with all of them. But especially Grant and Jason."
Glenn praised the arm strength and accuracy of Wells, along with his field vision and how quickly he processes information. He called Brown "resourceful," someone who gets the most out of every play and situation.
"He grinds out completions probably as well as everybody I’ve ever been around," Glenn said of Brown.
As far as naming a starter is concerned, Glenn, offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen and head coach Brent Pry are all on the same page: If Virginia Tech has a starting quarterback, the staff will announce it.
"I think if you have a starter, then certainly you need to name him," Glenn said. "And if everybody feels good about one guy, then your team, your locker room needs to see that. So they can kind of start rallying behind a guy and building their confidence and belief in, 'Hey, that’s our guy.' Because that’s so important."
Behind the two main guys are two inexperienced freshmen. Bullock redshirted in 2021 though saw some reps in the Military Bowl, while Farrell is a true freshman who enrolled early.
Glenn said the concern with the young players is them having too much information to process. He can tell they've become "a little bogged down" with the install, and Glenn doesn't want his quarterbacks to overthink things. However, he's seen some things that have pleased him.
"There’s been flashes in there with both of them, that you can think, 'Hey, they really got it,'" Glenn said. "But again, just the youth. This is Tahj’s first spring ball. So you expect him to be a little behind as compared to a Grant Wells or a Jason Brown. And Devin, early enrollee, should still be in high school right now. So those guys are right where I expected them to be."
And then there's Blumrick, who now finds himself practicing with the wide receivers and tight ends. All of the staff and players have raved about his ability, with Pry calling him one of Virginia Tech's "22 best players" back in March. Glenn described him as "a special talent."
"I think when you have a guy like that, I look at it through a defensive coordinator's eyes," Pry said. "I see a guy like Connor that's fast, long and athletic. He's showed us this week he's got ball skills. When he's in the game, is he going to lineup at quarterback? Is he going to lineup at tight end? Is he going to line up flexed out at wide receiver? He's a matchup problem for linebackers and potentially for safeties."
As Wells said of Blumrick, "I think he can catch an 80-yard post and the next play be quarterback and throw a slant, so I think that’s going to be a very unique asset to our offense."
Keli Lawson Moved to Sam Linebacker
Pry previously mentioned that J.R. Walker and Keonta Jenkins had made the transition to Sam linebacker (field backer). On Wednesday, he noted that wide receiver Keli Lawson also made the move.
"I was aware of Keli out of high school," Pry said. "I knew his head coach at Sherando. Coach Hall always felt like Keli was a better defensive player. When I watched high school film I feel like he's a better defensive prospect. I felt he was doing just OK at wide receiver, talked about an opportunity to get on the field more quickly on the defensive side of the ball, and what his strengths were. Day by day he's getting better at it."
Pry said the player at that position has to have the qualities of a safety and linebacker, while minimizing the amount of substitution the staff will have to do.
Chamarri Conner Standing Out in Defensive Back Room
Pry said senior defensive back Chamarri Conner is, more so than anyone else, playing at the speed he needs the defense to play with. Behind him, the group still needs to build some depth and consistency."He runs by people to get to the ball snap after snap after snap," Pry said of Conner. "Putting him back on the third level rather than a second-level player, he can get to more plays. He can play more of the whole field. I'm excited about what he's doing."
Running Back Competition
Pry said there haven't been any significant changes in the running back room over the last week. He described it as a good competition with many candidates, and the Hokies are looking for multiple backs that they can win with.
"I think Keshawn King, the explosive plays he makes," Pry said of running backs that have stood out. "That's caught my attention. I think Malachi [Thomas] seems like the most well-rounded guy. He picked up the offense quickly and makes plays. I like what I've seen out of Chance [Black], he had a really nice play or two on Saturday. I think it's a good group right now.