Brent Pry previews quarterback competition at Virginia Tech

The Virginia Tech Hokies are about to enter their first season under their new head coach, Brent Pry, the former defensive coordinator at Penn State. There are plenty of question marks surrounding the Hokies’ program heading into the 2022 season — the biggest of which is who will be under center this fall in Blacksburg, Virginia. Recently at ACC Media Days, Pry previewed the quarterback competition for the Hokies.

“I’m excited about the quarterback position. Jason [Brown] and Grant [Wells] are both experienced play callers, signal callers. These guys, different kind of path, but what Jason did at the FCS level and then what he did at South Carolina, winning big games in big venues, that’s what we would ask him to do here,” Pry said.

Brown began his college football career with the Saint Francis (PA) Red Flash, before moving onto South Carolina. In 2019, as a redshirt sophomore, he was named an honorable mention FCS All-American, after leading the NEC in passing yards (3,084) and passing touchdowns (28).

“Grant Wells was arguably if not the best, one of the best quarterbacks in his conference two years in a row. Both of these guys bring a ton of experience, a lot of maturity. They’re leaders. They’re workers. They have different skill sets. I’m really excited about both of them. Whichever guy ends up No. 1, we’re going to have a hell of a good No. 2 to go along with it,” the Hokies’ first-year head man said.

Wells came to Virginia Tech via the transfer portal, from the Marshall Thundering Herd, where he started for the past two seasons. He exploded onto the scene as a true freshman for Marshall, earning 2020 C-USA Freshman of the Year honors after leading the conference with 2,091 passing yards and 18 touchdown passes. In 2021, he threw for 3,532 passing yards. Wells owns eight career 300-yard passing performances thus far–including a career-high against the East Carolina Pirates on Sept. 18, 2021. He blowtorched them to the tune of 433-passing yards.

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Conference Realignment: Pry makes the case for Virginia Tech

The conference realignment arms race is on as the SEC and Big Ten both get ready to expand to 16 teams by 2025. Now, the question is who’s next — and Brent Pry made a case for Virginia Tech this week.

Pry talked about the realignment landscape. He shared what he likes about Virginia Tech and how he expects things to shake out as the college sports landscape continues to change.

“For us, I’ve always been taught you worry about what you can control,” Pry said. “That’s where your focus is. What we can do is what’s best for Virginia Tech. I love our brand. I don’t know where else in the country, what other conference offers everything that the ACC does: Great academics, great climate, great cities, great rivalries, great talent. To me, it’s a rare combination that I don’t think you get in any other leagues.

“I’ve been in the SEC, and I’ve been in the Big Ten. I love what we have to offer. I’ve got tremendous faith in our Commissioner and our ADs and our presidents. They’re very engaged in this. I expect big things. I feel very confident.”

On3’s Nick Schultz also contributed to this article.