Virginia Tech quarterback Pop Watson suspended indefinitely for violation of team rules

Virginia Tech quarterback Pop Watson has been suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules, coach Brent Pry announced Wednesday. Watson is a true freshman who has not recorded any stats with the team.

The quarterback played high school football for Springfield Central in Massachusetts, where he was a three-star prospect. He ranked as the No. 817 overall prospect and No. 44 quarterback in the 2023 cycle according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Pop Watson chose to attend Virginia Tech over offers from Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee and others. He was named the Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year as a high school senior this past season and won two championships at Springfield Central.

Watson has spent the first part of the season as a backup to Grant Wells and Kyron Drones. It’s unclear at this point exactly what Watson did that was in violation of the team rules, but this certainly isn’t a good first impression for the freshman.

The Hokies next have a Week 4 matchup against Marshall at noon ET on Saturday.

Brent Pry announces Nick Gallo will miss season with injury

Virginia Tech senior tight end and captain Nick Gallo will be out for the season, head coach Brent Pry announced on Tuesday. Gallo has been dealing with a knee injury since fall camp and head season-ending knee surgery recently.

Gallo, who had been elected a captain and was expected to play a big role in the Hokies offense, will now leave a void in the passing and running games. He will, however, remain a captain and leader for the team, Pry said.

“Nick Gallo has had season-ending surgery. So unfortunate for Nick. Our hearts go out to him. Guy that had a strong conviction to come back and be a captain and a leader which he’s still going to have the ability to do that. And he will do that. He wants to do that. But as far as on the field, we won’t have Nick available for the season. But he’ll remain a captain. He’ll be very involved and I’m excited about that piece of it for him and for us,” Pry said.

In place of Gallo, redshirt freshman tight end Benji Gosnell has been forced to step up. He had one catch for 23 yards in a season opening 36-17 win over Old Dominion for Virginia Tech.