Virginia Tech’s Quarterback Puzzle: Why the Portal's the Most Practical Solution

After a turbulent 3-9 2025 campaign, the Hokies will go into 2026 with a new starter.

Nov 29, 2025; Charlottesville, Va.; Virginia defensive end Fisher Camac (14) tips a pass by Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones (1) resulting in an interception. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech's non-starters from the signal-calling corps combined for a grand total of 22 snaps last season.

Pick your player…🎮#ThisIsHome26 | #NSD26 pic.twitter.com/Uuj7DBxcFL

— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) December 4, 2025

Thus, Hokies football finds itself in a familiar position: needing the transfer portal not just for depth, but for stability at the most important position on the field. The Hokies’ quarterback room has young talent, but little proven production, and the 2025 season makes it difficult for the staff to enter 2026 without searching elsewhere for proven production.

The most intriguing internal option, William "Pop" Watson III, has played only one game’s worth of meaningful snaps. His extended action came in the loss to Miami, where he delivered a sharp snapshot of both his ceiling and the concerns that follow him. Watson dropped a pair of on-target deep balls — both over 30 yards — that showed why the staff stuck with him after 2024. But he also coughed up the ball on a fumble, the turnover that sealed Virginia Tech's fate that day. It was the kind of sequence that shows how far he could go, and how far he still has to climb. Those deep balls were his only completions of the afternoon.

Virginia Tech’s reluctance to use Watson again, even briefly, became more noticeable as the season wound down. In the finale, with Kyron Drones struggling through one of his toughest outings — 4-for-16 for 78 yards, a line that falls to 3-for-15 for 21 yards if not for Snook Peterkin’s 57-yard catch-and-run touchdown — the Hokies still didn’t turn to the backup. For a team sitting at 3-8, the conservative decision spoke volumes. Either the staff didn’t believe Watson was ready for more than spot work, or they felt bound to the player who had carried them through the year. Either way, there will be a new starter next season.

That dynamic puts James Franklin and offensive coordinator Ty Howle in a difficult, but predictable offseason dilemma. Watson has upside but limited experience. Garret Rangel has experience elsewhere but is a rocky option that might not be suited for a QB1 slot. AJ Brand and Kelden Ryan have experience with the scout team, but nothing on the actual field. With no option clearly winning the job, and with 2025 expectations rising thanks to improved roster depth elsewhere, the Hokies are boxed into the same solution many programs now face: the portal.

The transfer market is flooded with players who have Power Five snaps, mobility and multi-year eligibility. Virginia turned to the portal this past year to bring in Chandler Morris for a spectacular campaign. Bringing in an experienced arm provides insurance and competition, and if Watson develops into the role anyway if he stays, that’s a positive outcome rather than a setback.

But as the offseason unfolds, the Hokies’ path is clear. They must bring in their starting quarterback through the portal.