Virginia Tech Names Ryan Willis Starting Quarterback

Grant Atkinson

August 22, 2019, 03:00 AM

The Hokies have officially named Ryan Willis their starting quarterback for the 2019 season opener against Boston College. https://twitter.com/VT_Football/status/1164591291373686784?s=19 Fuente also added that Hendon Hooker will be the Hokies' backup quarterback with Quincy Patterson third on the depth chart to start the 2019 season. When Josh Jackson went down with a leg injury against Old Dominion, most fans had no idea what to expect from a Kansas transfer who had less than stellar stats in his short time with the Jayhawks. However, in a season full of disappointment, Willis became one of the few positive surprises. Willis finished the 2018 season with 2,716 passing yards, 24 TDs, a 56.4% completion percentage, and just 9 interceptions. His 2.67 TD-INT ratio was good for third in the ACC in that category. Considering Willis did not start the first three games of the season, those are very solid stats. After Josh Jackson transferred to Maryland this offseason, the starting QB job began to look more and more like Willis' to lose. Today was a confirmation of that despite the fact that this quarterback battle lasted well into August. Willis is a player who has arguably not received the praise he deserves since taking over at Virginia Tech. In a recent list of all 130 starting FBS quarterbacks from Pro Football Focus, Willis was named just the 73rd best starter. Former Hokie Josh Jackson was ranked 39th. Admittedly, when a team has their first losing season in 25 years, the preseason hype is going to be down. However, that just allows Willis and the Hokies to play with a chip on their shoulder when the season begins in less than 2 weeks.