By Jimmy Robertson
BLACKSBURG – With just a few days left before the kickoff of the annual spring game, many fans were wondering about the play of the quarterbacks during spring practice.
Well, the wait ended Wednesday, as the trio of signal callers vying for the job met with media members and answered a wide-ranging list of questions.
As expected, their perspectives on many topics differed, but the small group looks forward to performing Saturday in front of Virginia Tech fans.
For Ryan Willis, he views Saturday as just another practice and therefore another opportunity to get better. But fifth-year seniors should have that outlook. He played in the spring game in 2017 and 2018, and he entered spring practice coming off a season in which he threw for 2,716 yards, with 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
In other words, he has played in much more meaningful games, and his spring has consisted of building on his performances from last fall – a task that he said has gone well.
"I know what I'm doing," Willis said. "I know our offense pretty well. It's not so much what our guys are doing. I'm looking at what the defense is doing. That's where I'm trying to improve the most.
"I'm just more comfortable in the system. Confidence has never been an issue. I feel good with what I'm doing. Everything is operating well. If I'm not worrying about what I'm doing, I've got more time to check on other guys and make sure they're lined up the right way. Just simple things like that. I'm trying to get a better overall understanding of just the game itself."
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✅ All 3 QBs + Coach Fuente discuss the ongoing competition.
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Hendon Hooker and Quincy Patterson II find themselves trying to do the same thing, while also pushing Willis in what head coach Justin Fuente calls an open competition for the starting job. Both played in 2018, though sparingly, and both lack the polish that only comes with reps.
As most know, Hooker nearly transferred in January. He entered the NCAA's transfer portal, but after roughly three weeks, he decided to return to the Virginia Tech program. He didn't get into any specifics Wednesday, only expressing thanks to those in whom he confided.
"Just talking with Coach Fuente and my parents, I just thank them for being with me during that whole process," Hooker said. "I thank my teammates for accepting me back. It just felt like Virginia Tech is home."
"You would never know that anything has happened," Fuente said. "He's been great. I told him it's not something that I will ever hold over your head. It's a situation we worked through and moved forward. I haven't noticed any difference in Hendon at all."
As for Patterson, he probably has been the most talked about of the group among the fan base. Most of that comes from how highly touted he was coming out of Solorio Academy in Chicago and also because he looks the part at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds.
Fuente has tried to keep the expectations in check, as they relate to Patterson. Patterson himself takes things in stride.
"For the most part, I've tried to zone all that out," he said. "Of course, you can't take all of that out, but my parents have raised me to kind of stay level-headed, and I let things get above me, or I just know that I'm not above anyone else. That's kind of how I treat it.
"Just me being here and all the things that came with being a quarterback, and being as highly recruited as I was, I just take everything with a grain of salt and just [focus on] what I'm here for and who I am and my purpose."
Patterson played in three games in 2018 and thus kept his redshirt season. Tech's coaching staff appeared to play it close to the vest with Patterson, knowing that he needed a little more "seasoning," while also wanting to get him some game experience.
He said he has spent much of spring practice getting an even better grasp of the Hokies' offense. Now, on Saturday, he wants to show fans much of what he knows.
"I'm a quick learner," Patterson said. "Coming from the high school that I came from, the offense wasn't as complicated as it is here, but I think I've gotten a pretty good grasp on it.
"Even if my role stayed the same this year, I'd just be happy to be on the field. But being able to do everything is a plus, and I'll be excited to do that as well [on Saturday]."
Here are some other notes from Wednesday's news conference:
• Fuente said that he and his staff hadn't decided on the format for Saturday's game and plan to do so at some point after Thursday's practice. A year ago, the Hokies' offense took on the Hokies' defense, but Fuente has tinkered with that format each year during his coaching career. This year's format hinges on the injury report.
"I'm always open to looking at what we can and can't do," he said. "I want it to be a competitive event. I want it to be guys on a stage having to perform, and as importantly, I want our fans to get a taste of our players and our program. I'm just at the mercy of the numbers.
"It's just different than it was 20 years ago. We all know that. If we ever get to the point that we can safely divide up and try to do something like that [a traditional game], I'm completely open to it. We re-evaluate it every single year based on what we got."
• Hooker and Patterson have been battling injuries over the past week, which means they may not see a lot of live action Saturday. Hooker sprained his ankle, while Patterson suffered a cut on his index finger.
"After practice Thursday, we will decide, and we may do a little bit of that [going live during the spring game]," Fuente said. "I can promise you that we won't do the whole thing with live quarterbacks, but there may be a segment that we do that will be live. After Thursday, I'll know, but it's something we're talking about for Saturday."
• Tight end James Mitchell suffered a broken finger recently and underwent surgery. He sports a large cast, but Fuente listed him as questionable for Saturday's game, saying that Mitchell wanted to play.