Who will be the Hokies’ next quarterback?

From the sidelines

Virginia Tech football enters spring practice with several holes to fill and the question of who might be under center.

Josh Jackson returns after serving as the team’s starter last season but will face major challenges from a Kansas transfer, an outstanding redshirt freshman and two freshmen signal callers including “all-world” Quincy Patterson from Chicago, Illinois. Also, don’t forget A.J. Bush who served as the backup last season.

Some of those players could switch positions, but they came and are coming to Tech with the desire to play quarterback.

There is always the possibility Bush could also move to another school with a chance to start. The Internet has been buzzing that the 6’4, 225 pound, Bush could end up at Miami or Central Florida, but he hasn’t made an official announcement yet.

Associate Athletic Director Pete Moris said Wednesday Bush is still enrolled at Virginia Tech and attending classes on scholarship. Nothing else can be confirmed beyond that at this time.

Bush, who originally started his career at Nebraska, was used sparingly this past season and served as Jackson’s backup. He announced on his twitter page that he was set to graduate in May and was looking forward to a new chapter in his life. He, like other graduate transfers, would be eligible to play immediately at another school.

Hooker sat out last season and could be primed to challenge for the starter’s role. At 6’4, 225, he could be the perfect fit for a Justin Fuente offense. As a senior in high school, he led his Dudley, North Carolina, team to a state championship game where he was named the MVP and accounted for six touchdowns.

He passed for 6,027 yards and 55 touchdowns in his career while rushing for 2,975 yards and 48 touchdowns, and was named the All-State player of the year. Hooker was in the mix last spring before the coaching staff decided to redshirt him.

Ryan Willis (6’4, 220), who transferred from Kansas, sat out last season. He played two seasons the Jayhawks and started the final eight games as a freshman, throwing for a freshman school record of 1,719 yards and nine touchdowns, but only started seven games as a sophomore before coming to Blacksburg.

Then enter Patterson who has competed in several major college prospect camps including the prestigious Elite 11 QB event where he was rated as one of the top five QBs in the nation.

As a junior at Solorio Academy in Chicago, Patterson threw for 1,359 yards and 15 touchdowns and ran for 1,146 yards and 20 touchdowns. The 6’4, 220 pound signal caller had offers from over 30 schools including Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Penn State. Some scouts have labeled the dual-threat quarterback as one of the top prospects in the entire country.

Tech also signed DeJuan Ellis, a Maryland high school QB that might be a little undersized at 5’11, 180.

Jackson did put up some impressive numbers last year with a 236 for 396 finish for 2,991 yards and 20 touchdowns, but he did throw nine picks. He also rushed 124 times for 324 yards and six TDs. He was listed as a four-star recruit coming out of high school.

The question is whether he can continue to lead the offense and cut back on the number of interceptions. We will see when the dust clears maybe not this spring but later in the summer. I do not expect Fuente to be definite on the matter till before the Hokies’ opener at Florida State. Thinks could be interesting between now and then.

Virginia Tech will conduct its annual Pro Day for NFL coaches and scouts on Wednesday, March 14. Following weigh-in and measurements, the group of players will be tested in the bench press, broad jump and vertical jump at the Hokies’ weight room before on-field drills and the 40-yard dash take place in the Virginia Tech Indoor Practice Facility.

It is expected that graduating seniors and underclassmen who have declared for the NFL Draft will be in attendance with final participants subject to change. While all players in attendance will get to strut their stuff for NFL scouts, there’s no doubt that the following players will likely be on the list of “must-see” prospects for the personnel men in attendance.

In other news:

Shout out to former Appalachian State and Radford High graduate Maryah Syndor whose Hørsholm 79er European women’s professional team of the Dame Ligaen League in Denmark recently won the women’s Danish Cup.

Syndor averaged 16.9 points per game this season along with 10 rebounds. The team finished second last season and rolled through the playoffs this year.

A big pat on the back to the Blacksburg High School’s girls basketball team that presented Radford High School with a $1,336 check for a student-athlete who is fighting cancer.

The donation came after a silent auction at BHS, and the Bruins made the announcement Monday shortly before their contest against the Bobcats. Eric Burdette is battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Homeschoolers and private school students now have an opportunity to play varsity and jayvee football through the Roanoke Ambassadors football program, which has announced the formation team for the Montgomery County/Christiansburg area.

The Virginia General Assembly again turned down the so-called “Tebow” Bill, which would allow home schoolers to participate in athletics at the public school level. The measure would have given those individuals the opportunity to participate with nearby school systems. Instead they are again left on the outside looking in.

For more information on the Ambassador program, call 525-5695.