Ranking 50 Years of Hokie Quarterbacks: A Four-Part Series (Part I)

Every Virginia Tech fan has their quarterback.

The one who made them a Tech fan. The one who took snaps just as they were old enough to care. The one whose highlights are forever burned into memory, even if the stat line has faded with time. In Blacksburg, we've seen the quarterback position as a legend and a lightning rod, sometimes concurrently, and many things in between.

But it's an exclusive group. Over the past 50 years, only 36 players have started a game at quarterback for Virginia Tech, and only 25 have done so for at least a season’s worth of starts. 

This series will celebrate Hokie history and those who played a leading role in it.

Using a combination of on-field success and objective statistics, with some subjective adjustment, I studied and ranked every Virginia Tech quarterback who started at least one game over the last 50 years. The goal wasn’t necessarily to crown the definitive “best”.  Rather, the goal was to create a framework that respects both what the numbers say and what the quarterbacks meant to the program, and remember the athletes who gave us memories we still share and re-share at tailgates.

This is the first of a four-part, weekly series. Each week, we’ll rank the 25 full-season starters from the past 50 years in three pieces, beginning today with those ranked 25th through 16th. Part II will celebrate 15th through 6th.  Part III will honor the Top Five. Finally, Part IV will shine the spotlight on the 11 quarterbacks who started less than a full season, and also share a full statistical listing of all 36 quarterbacks.

Before diving in, a quick word on how these rankings were constructed. Each quarterback was evaluated using a weighted model that included:

• Success as a starter: taking into account total wins and winning percentage
• Passing efficiency rating: an industry-standard metric
• Rushing success: including rushing yards and rushing touchdowns
• Intangibles: a subjective adjustment accounting for anything from leadership qualities to postseason appearances to historical impact on the program. These adjustments are more likely to move a quarterback up or down among similarly-scored quarterbacks than it is to move them dramatically on the list.

The numbers provide structure, but each of our memories provide depth, context and perhaps conflict. If this list feels imperfect, that’s by design. Assessment of quarterback play can be quantified to a point, but will always include subjectivity. I have seen every quarterback on this list play, but I do not have a monopoly on opinions. If you have one that differs, well, I think that’s awesome.

With that, let’s get this party started.

Years as a Starter: 1977-1978

Record as a Starter: 6-12-1

David Lamie was a standout football player and golfer at Tennessee High School in Bristol, TN, the same school that produced both future Hokie baseball star Gavin Cross and singer Dave Loggins. 

Once on campus in Blacksburg, Lamie spent a year as a defensive back before switching to quarterback in 1976. He seized the starting role in 1977, but a 3-7-1 finish meant the end for head coach Jimmy Sharpe. Bill Dooley took over in 1978, and while Lamie started the majority of the games, he gradually gave way to freshman Steve Casey. 

Lamie accounted for 10 rushing touchdowns in his career and had a few memorable moments through the air as well. He played on the Virginia Tech golf team in his senior year, and went on to frequent the links with great success throughout adulthood.  

Best moment: September 30, 1978, “Hail Mary!” David Lamie stepped to the line with six seconds left in the game and Tech at the 50-yard line, down 19-15 to William & Mary. The home fans were grumbling about a near-certain loss to the Tribe, but Lamie had other plans. The senior took the snap, dropped back and heaved the ball toward the end zone where a leaping Ron Zollicoffer hauled in the pass as time expired. It was the type of play and ensuing scene that can change a kid’s whole outlook on sports and life, and it was amid this chaos and laughter and tears of joy that one little kid in the Lane Stadium west stands verbally committed to Virginia Tech. Out loud to no one in particular. That little kid was me.

Years as a Starter: 2022-2023

Record as a Starter: 4-9

After throwing for 5623 yards at Marshall, Grant Wells opted to transfer to Virginia Tech and serve as new coach Brent Pry’s starting quarterback. The Charleston, WV native had eight career 300-yard games in Huntington, and was on the Maxwell Award watch list prior to his final season the Herd. 

Wells walked into a situation featuring a team in roster turnover, a first-time head coach, first-time offensive coordinator and a generally inexperienced offensive line. It wasn’t a recipe for success. He threw four interceptions in his (and Pry’s) first game, a humbling loss at Old Dominion. There were some good moments along the way, but unfortunately his stellar numbers at Marshall didn’t translate frequently enough in Blacksburg. 

An ankle injury sidelined Wells early in the 2023 season, and he relinquished the starting role to Baylor transfer Kyron Drones. Wells finished his Tech career with 2692 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Best moment: September 2, 2023, “Redemption Day.” This season-opening evening in Blacksburg was a redemption day of sorts for Wells, who threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-17 win against ODU. Exorcising the demons from the previous year’s loss to the Monarchs in Norfolk, Wells connected with Jaylin Lane once and Ali Jennings twice for scores, and ran one in himself for good measure.

Years as a Starter: 1982-1985

Record as a Starter: 11-7

Todd Greenwood was a skinny kid from Mount Airy, NC when he stepped onto the campus of Virginia Tech. He looked so young when he got to Blacksburg, the story went that the staff tried to prevent him from entering the Hokies’ weight room, mistaking Greenwood for a high schooler. But he quickly made his mark. Greenwood shared starting duties with teammate Mark Cox and the duo combined for 30 wins in their time at Tech.

With the exception of the pass-happy Charlie Coffey era, Tech historically leaned heavily on the run until Bill Dooley’s more balanced attack arrived. As a result Greenwood’s 2721 career passing yards were fourth in school history at the time of his graduation. Greenwood went on to a successful contracting and construction career, but sadly passed away in 2016 of cancer at age 53.

Best moment: October 9, 1982, “The Comeback.” An improbable comeback in Greenwood’s freshman year of 1982 came in Durham, NC against Duke and their offensive coordinator Steve Spurrier and QB Ben Bennett. The Hokies found themselves down 21-0 to the Blue Devils, and Greenwood found himself benched in favor of Cox for a time. But with 1:47 remaining in the game, coach Bill Dooley reinserted Greenwood. The freshman led Tech down the field, culminating in a 49-yard TD pass to reserve wingback Allan Thomas and a two-point conversion pass to tight end Mike Shaw to give Tech a 22-21 victory.

Years as a Starter: 1986-1987

Record as a Starter: 12-10-1

DeMatha High School alumnus Erik Chapman has the distinction of being the last starting quarterback for coach Bill Dooley and the first starting quarterback for Frank Beamer. He also has the distinction of being the first quarterback at Tech to win a bowl game, which he did at the 1986 Peach Bowl.

Chapman arrived at Tech and sat behind the starting duo of Mark Cox and Todd Greenwood for a time, but the job was his starting with his redshirt-junior season in 1986. It would be a year for the ages, spurred by a huge win against Clemson at Death Valley in the second game of the season, a 10-1-1 record (after a loss to Bruce Arians’ Temple Owls was declared a forfeited win) and the acrimonious departure of Dooley. Chapman threw for 1627 yards and 10 touchdowns that year, one that featured the stellar running of Maurice Williams and Eddie Hunter.

1987 brought in coach Beamer and the heavy hand of NCAA sanctions. Chapman continued as the starter, but the overall talent on the team took a hit. The Hokies struggled to a 2-9 finish with wins over Navy and Cincinnati. Chapman’s career stats were 232-453 (51.2%) for 2967 yards, 20 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. 

Best moment: December 31, 1986, “Peach Bowl Champs.” Chapman will forever be the starting quarterback for the first Virginia Tech team to ever win a bowl game. Chapman was 20-30 for 200 yards in the game, and two touchdowns, including a fourth quarter pass to tight end Steve Johnson. He also led the Hokies on a frantic 59-yard drive in the waning seconds, setting up kicker Chris Kinzer’s iconic game-winning 40-yard field goal as time expired.

Years as a Starter: 2020-2021

Record as a Starter: 9-7

Braxton Burmeister was a standout quarterback from La Jolla, CA who originally played for the Oregon Ducks. Thrust into a starting role as a freshman due to an injury to Justin Herbert, Burmeister predictably struggled. After playing sparingly in his sophomore season, he transferred to Virginia Tech and had to sit out for the 2019 season.

The Covid-riddled 2020 season is an awful one to draw any conclusions from. From the large lists of unavailable players to rescheduling of games to the constant invasive swab tests, nothing about the season was normal. Burmeister, with the help of his mom and her mustard packets, combined with Quincy Patterson to stifle NC State in a late September opening game in front of cardboard cutout fans. He saw action in four more games that season but largely worked behind Hendon Hooker. 

The 2021 season, while bracketed with emotional wins over UNC and UVa, was largely a mess. It ultimately cost Justin Fuente his job with two games remaining. Burmeister acquitted himself fairly well despite the tough circumstances, with 2647 passing yards, 16 TD and just five interceptions. All told, Burmeister’s 3.2 TD/INT Ratio at Tech is second only to Jerod Evans on this list.

At the conclusion of the 2021 season, but before the Hokies’ Pinstripe Bowl, Burmeister entered the transfer portal and moved to San Diego State where he played both quarterback and receiver. He also made a go of it in the CFL with Winnipeg.

Best moment: September 3, 2021, “The day college football was ‘back’!” The win against #10 UNC in Blacksburg in the 2021 season opener provided a powder keg of emotions for college football fans across the country, and at Tech in particular. After a year of Covid-driven malaise dragged us all down, this was a huge celebratory day. Burmeister was efficient, completing 12 of 19 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown, and ran for an additional 42 yards and a score. It was arguably the high-water mark for Tech football in the last half-dozen or so years.

Years as a Starter: 2018-2019

Record as a Starter: 6-8

After two years with the Kansas Jayhawks, Kansas City-area native Ryan Willis set his sights eastward and transferred to Virginia Tech. Due to NCAA rules at the time, Willis sat out for the 2017 season. He was Josh Jackson’s backup to begin the 2018 season, but when Jackson suffered a broken leg, Willis stepped in. He threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns at Duke in his first game as a starter and kept the job the remainder of the 2018 season. 

Willis began 2019 as the starter, but after a 45-10 loss to Duke in the fourth game of the season, Willis yielded his job primarily to Hendon Hooker. Willis’ last game contribution came in the UNC game that season, where he was one of three Tech quarterbacks (Hooker, Quincy Patterson) to throw a touchdown pass in an epic six overtime win over UNC. Willis threw for 3622 yards and 33 touchdown passes at Tech. Those numbers on a per start basis (259 yards, 2.36 TD) are the highest of any Hokie starting quarterback.

Willis’ strong arm briefly earned him a spot on the active roster of the Chicago Bears in 2021 as well as stints in both the XFL and USFL.

Best moment: November 23, 2018, “Scared Money Don’t Make Money.” In a game where the Hokies needed multiple breaks to go their way, Willis was responsible for a big one. Tech was down seven to UVa at home, where Tech hadn’t lost to the Cavaliers since 1998. On a third-and-ten from his own 25 and 2:29 left in regulation, Willis heaved a long pass into coverage where Dalton Keene leapt up and made the grab for a 45-yard gain. The Hokies tied the game on that drive with an improbable fumble recovery in the end zone by Hezekiah Grimsley, then won in overtime setting off a wild celebration. Asked about the big throw to Keene after the game, Willis quipped, “Scared money don’t make money.” The Hokies still haven’t lost to Virginia at home since 1998.

Years as a Starter: 1976

Record as a Starter: 6-5

A native of Southampton, Virginia, Mitcheal Barnes contributed in a backup capacity in both 1974 and 1975, then started the 1976 season for Virginia Tech. Barnes wasn’t asked to do too much in the Tech offense. In helping the Gobblers to a 6-5 record, he threw for only 589 yards in 1976, with five TD and two interceptions. He also added 57 yards and two TD on the ground. 

For his career, though, he was efficient. Despite his modest numbers, his career passing efficiency rating of 156.3 stands second among all Tech quarterbacks over the past 50 years. And his nine career touchdown passes came on only 110 pass attempts. That percentage (8.2%) is the highest mark on this list. He was also a two-year varsity baseball player. Barnes sadly passed away in 2004 at the age of 49.

Best moment: October 23, 1976, “Bombs Away!” Against Kent State, Barnes hooked up with receiver Moses Foster on a hitch-and-go pattern that resulted in a 70-yard touchdown. It was Tech’s longest completion from scrimmage in 1976.

Years as a Starter: 2001-2002

Record as a Starter: 10-4

The hardest thing to do is follow a legend. Grant Noel, born in Low Moor, VA and raised in Ridgeley, WV, was part of the same 1998 recruiting class as Michael Vick, and served in a reserve capacity for the first two years of his career. Once Vick left to become the #1 pick in the NFL draft, Noel assumed starting duties. Unfortunately for Noel, injuries in both the preseason of 2001 and 2002 hampered him throughout his active career at Tech. Despite all of that, he amassed a 10-4 record as a starter.

After yet another injury during the win over Nick Saban and LSU in 2002, Noel was sidelined, lost his starting job to sophomore Bryan Randall and was limited to mop-up duty for the rest of the season. Noel finished his career with 1971 yards passing, with 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. 

Best moment: November 17, 2001, “Beat Virginia.” Though running back Kevin Jones and his 181 yards rushing performance rightfully got the headlines, Noel threw for 190 yards and three scores in a 31-17 win over Virginia. He tossed early touchdown passes to Jarrett Ferguson and Andre Davis (twice) to get Tech rolling, and the Hokies never looked back.

Years as a Starter: 2014-2015

Record as a Starter: 11-9

After starring at Lake Travis High School outside of Austin, TX, Michael Brewer headed to Lubbock where he shared the Texas Tech quarterback room with the likes of Baker Mayfield and Davis Webb. After he lost his job due to injury, Brewer transferred to Virginia Tech. 

Brewer didn’t take long to make some noise with a big win at Ohio State. But 2014 was a maddening year, as five of Tech’s six losses were by one score. For his part, Brewer threw for 2692 yards for the season, though notable was that his four best passing games in 2014 came in defeat.

The 2015 campaign started out promising. Brewer completed 11 of 16 passes for 156 yards and two TDs against defending National Champion Ohio State. Unfortunately, he broke his collarbone early in the third quarter of that game, effectively ending Tech’s chances of pulling a second upset over the Buckeyes. After surgery, Brewer returned to have statistically his best season in Blacksburg (137.9 passing efficiency rating), but missing five games was a killer. Brewer led the Hokies to four wins out of five down the stretch, including a 344-yard passing performance against Tulsa in the Independence Bowl. The game sent Coach Beamer out a winner in his last game at Virginia Tech.  

Best moment: September 6, 2014, “Upset in Columbus.” In his second start as a Hokie, Brewer led the team on a historic 35-21 upset of eventual national champion Ohio State in Columbus. In front of the biggest crowd in Ohio Stadium history, against blitz after blitz, Brewer made gutsy throw after gutsy throw. His 10-yard toss to Bucky Hodges with 8:44 left gave the Hokies a lead they would not relinquish, and Bud Foster’s defense did the rest, with multiple sacks of JT Barrett and a game-sealing pick six by Donovan Riley. Of Brewer, Beamer said after the game, “I like that guy. I really like that guy. He does a lot of good things out there. I think he’s a confidence builder for our whole football team.”

Years as a Starter: 2023-2025

Record as a Starter: 14-18

After a couple of years at Baylor, Houston native Kyron Drones transferred to Virginia Tech. He was the focal point of what offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen wanted to build in Blacksburg, and by the third game of the 2023 season, Drones took over for Grant Wells as starter. It took some time for things to mesh, but by the end of the season, it started to look promising. Drones threw for 779 yards, 10 TD and just one interception in Tech’s final four games, leading to considerable excitement coming into 2024. 

Unfortunately, 2023 proved to be the high-water mark of the Drones era across nearly every statistical measure. Only four times in his last two seasons did Drones exceed 200 yards passing in a game. A series of injuries hampered him in 2024, and nothing seemed to work for Drones or around him in 2025, leading to a coaching change just three games into the season. Drones had all the physical tools. He was a heck of a strong runner, amassing 1798 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns while at Tech. Plenty of good, but Drones would probably be the first to tell you he would like to have won more games.

Best moment: September 30, 2023, “Breakthrough Win.” Standing at 1-3 in the 2023 season, the Hokies needed wins, and quickly. The Pitt Panthers came to town and Drones led the way. Tech’s new starter heaved a 54-yard TD to Da’Quan Felton to start things off, threw another to Bhayshul Tuten and ran two in himself en route to a 28-7 lead, then sealed the win with a 53-yard TD pass to Jaylin Lane. In all, Drones was 12-19 for 228 yards and three TDs, and he ran for 41 yards and two more scores. The Hokies won six of their last nine games, capped by a 41-20 Military Bowl win over Tulane.

That's it for Part I. Stay with us for the rest of this four-part series. Next week in Part II, the countdown continues as we rank the Virginia Tech quarterbacks of the last 50 years by counting down from #15 to #6!