Virginia Tech Quarterback Garret Rangel to Enter Transfer Portal

The redshirt junior did not log a snap in 2025.

Oct 18, 2024; Provo, Ut.; Oklahoma State quarterback Garret Rangel (13) warms up before the game against BYU. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech suffered its first loss of the portal this offseason. It was reported earlier today that the Hokies are losing quarterback Garret Rangel to the transfer portal, per On3's Pete Nakos. Rangel, a 6-foot-2, 198-pound redshirt junior, will possess one year of eligibility at his next stop.

NEW: Virginia Tech QB Garret Rangel is entering the transfer portal, his rep @t_pereira2 tells @PeteNakos.

Former Oklahoma State transfer has played in 12 career games. https://t.co/kSYG7dZ8sR pic.twitter.com/8bzjNgLZZ8

— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) December 17, 2025

Rangel arrived in Blacksburg after spending his previous three years at Oklahoma State. In 2022, his first year with the Cowboys, Rangel played in four games and made three starts, finishing the year with 711 passing yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions. The highlight of the year came against Kansas, where the true freshman recorded 304 passing yards.

The following year, Rangel played in five games, only starting the season opener against Central Arkansas. That game, he tallied 118 passing yards, more than half of his 172 total yards in the season.

The following year, Rangel logged four games, starting once against BYU. He again didn't produce much stats, finishing the year with 192 passing yards, a pair of touchdowns and one interception. Against the Cougars, he logged a 54-yard carry, the longest of that career; however, he suffered an injury on the aforementioned play that sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

Rangel was rated as a three-star entering the portal after 2024 by 247Sports, which gave him a overall rating of 84. Rangel was ranked as the No. 1,746 overall transfer in the class and the 120th-highest ranked signal-caller.

Rangel did not log a snap in 2025, stuck as the third-string quarterback behind starter Kyron Drones, who logged every snap but 22 in 2025, and second-stringer William "Pop" Watson III, who gobbled up all 22 remaining snaps after starting the Hokies' final two games of 2024.

Rangel's transfer is the first under new head coach James Franklin, who was officially announced as head whistle on Nov. 17. Given that the Hokies are bringing in Danny O'Brien as the new quarterbacks coach, a route to significant playing time for Rangel would be unlikely, warranting a transfer. Rangel will likely continue to be a backup if he remains at the Power Four level or he could earn a starting spot if he transfers down to the Group of Five.

Meanwhile, for Virginia Tech, it will have a new starter for the 2026 season due to Kyron Drones exhausting his eligibility following the 2025 campaign, a disappointing season that resulted in a 3-9 finish for the Hokies.

262 days remain until Virginia Tech's 2026 season kicks off with VMI on Sept. 5, 2026.