Brent Pry provides update on Virginia Tech's battle for backup quarterback job

Kyron Drones is back as the starter for Virginia Tech this fall but the Hokies’ backup quarterback has still yet to be determined.

Brent Pry updated the reserve competition between Collin Schlee and William ‘Pop’ Watson III during a media availability on Wednesday. He said the battle between them has been a great one with them seeing positive things from both at times throughout fall camp.

“It’s good, yeah. It’s good,” Pry said. “I think, you know, we get excited about Collin. Then, you know, Pop comes back off a minor injury and has a couple of good days and makes some good plays.”

As for a timeframe for when it’s final, Pry says they will eventually make a decision and that it’s coming. VT wants to have everything in place by game week when they open in Music City on August 31st.

“Yeah, we will,” said Pry.

“I don’t know. You know, me and (Tyler Bowen) and Coach Crist will talk about it. I’d hope we could make a decision before that,” Pry said. “I really want things settled, whether it’s linebacker, safety, backup quarterback, going into that game week. You really want to know where you’re at and let people practice, you know, in their rotation and in a position where they’re going to play when we go to Nashville.”

Schlee transferred in to Blacksburg after a four-year collegiate career with three at Kent State and one at UCLA. He has appeared in over 25 collegiate games, including seven with two starts last year with the Bruins. In those outings, he has completed 58.9% of his passes for 2,677 yards, 18 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. With that, he was the No. 65 QB in the portal per On3’s 2024 Transfer Portal Top Players.

Watson is now back as a redshirt freshman in his second season at Virginia Tech. He played in a pair of games as a true freshman where he missed his lone throw but did rush five times for 40 yards. That season also included a week-long suspension in late September after violating team rules.

Other quarterbacks on the roster for the Hokies include Ben Locklear, Jackson Sigler, and Davi Belfort.

Virginia Tech is a little over two weeks out from their opener to end the month at Vanderbilt. That makes this upcoming stretch an important one for everyone on their team still fighting for position on the depth chart, including at QB2.

“It’s going to be interesting over the next week here,” Pry said.