Virginia Tech football coach Brent Pry received a major commitment Sunday afternoon when three-star quarterback AJ Brand decided to commit to the Hokies over the University of South Carolina and the University of North Carolina, which had been in the running to acquire Brand out of South Carolina. Brand was the first of two commitments Pry received, with linebacker Noah Chambers committing later Sunday afternoon.
Brand was Virginia Tech’s preferred signal caller and would be a great addition to the Hokies as he is a dynamic duel-threat quarterback with a very similar skill set to current Tech quarterback Kyron Draughns. There are many upsides to this commitment, and here are three thoughts on it now that Brand is officially a Hokie.
The two quarterbacks Virginia Tech was actively recruiting in the class of 2025 were Brand and four-star recruit Malik Washington from the University of Maryland. Washington visited Blacksburg for the Hokies’ annual spring game in April and spoke “very highly” of Virginia Tech, and all signs since then have pointed to him committing to Maryland.
Brand is still a good acquisition for Pry and offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen, and it doesn’t feel like Washington is completely committed to Virginia Tech. He’ll likely make a decision soon, but it would be surprising to see him not choose Maryland or Syracuse at this point.
Virginia Tech will have Draughns, UCLA transfer Collin Schley and Pop Watson under center for the 2024 season, but the quarterback corps will be dynamic for Pry after this season. Of course, it would be fine if Draughns leaves, but if he does, there’s no shortage of quarterbacks in waiting.
In addition to Watson, who performed well in the spring game two months ago, and freshman Davi Belfort, who is currently enrolling, Brand and Kelden Ryan, who has already committed to Virginia Tech, will be added. There will be no shortage of playmakers and two-way QBs for Pry and Bowen to choose from. It looks like a very promising QB corps will be born from 2025.
Pry has a number of commitments from Virginia for the class of 2025, but acquiring Brand would take quarterback Shane Beamer away from his immediate surroundings. From the early stages of his recruiting, Brand has proven to be someone Virginia Tech put all their effort into recruiting and it has paid off. It also takes them away from the University of North Carolina, who recently made a move.
Virginia Tech’s quarterback corps is shaping up to be an interesting one next season and beyond, and watching these four battle it out will be fun for Hokies fans.
