Logan Thomas set all the records as a Virginia Tech QB but did not win an ACC Championship as a starter. Mike Vick took VT all the way to the National Championship but did not win the whole thing. Tyrod Taylor came in as a five star QB and won the ACC and BCS bowl game but did not take the team to the National Championship.
Who do you have as the best Virginia Tech QB ever?
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Michael Vick.
This is the only comment that needs to be made. It's Vick and the real debate would be for second place.
Tyrod is my homeboy, but there is no VT as we know it today without Vick. Love him or hate him for his personality and off the field stuff, but on the field he was pure electricity. SI thought so too.
Vick.
I got this.
it's not that close.
Vick and is it really even a question?
I wrote a couple thousand words on this a few years ago, in case you were interested:
Michael Vick ..... is this really a question?
How do you define "success"? Some may argue that because Michael Vick took the Hokies to the title game, he's the best to come through. And they have a point. Michael Vick is probably the best athlete to ever play quarterback and revolutionized the position. In that sense, Michael Vick is the best QB to come through Tech.
But then you can look at Tyrod Taylor. The guy was a spectacular athlete, and while not as athletic as Vick, still led the team to two ACC titles ( I can't remember if he started the 2007 game) and led us to two Orange bowls. He also stayed for four years, so one can only wonder what would happen if Michael Vick had stayed four years.
Honestly, I'm a little biased because I didn't start watching the hokies until about 2006 and Tyrod was just about to come onto the scene. If I have to say so, I would say Tyrod.
Someone do this man a favor and get him the tape for every game Vick played in at tech...my favorite memories were waking up on Saturday mornings to watch him play. It was must see tv
THIS TIMES INFINITY ^^^^^^^
Oh believe me, I've watched just about every highlight and game that I could find. The guy was absolutely incredible. No doubt about it that he's the best player at the position to ever put on the maroon and orange.
Nailed it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKuon3s0D-o&list=PL51F595CC4761B55E
Here's some HD highlights. Remember, Vick lost 1 game as a starter. The national championship. That's it.
Two losses in two seasons (and one he barely played. Started with a bad ankle and could not go.) 22-2 as a starter. I loved Tyrod, but even he would tell you that Vick is the top guy.
I don't think he started that Miami game. I believe he came in for 1 or 2 series in the 2nd quarter (if my memory serves correctly, it was 13 years ago). I think he only lost to FSU as a starter.
They sent him in for a couple series multiple times throughout the game. My dad still says that if we had just sat him the whole game we might've had a chance, he was just making too many mistakes and wasn't nearly mobile enough to make it worth having him in the game.
A more compelling thread would be Which one is the better QB: T-Mobile or LT3
Tyrod wins that by a mile
Think winning the ACC title and a BCS game would have Tyrod trumping LT3
You seem to be forgetting that LT won the Sugar Bowl. Nice pass there at the end to D Coale.
Yeah but that whole season we were ecstatic with LT because he was playing above expectation. He was certainly not playing at the level TT5 had played at the previous year. I wouldn't even go so far to say that he was playing at the level of TT5 the year prior to that either. I think Tyrod was much rougher around the edges though at his start that LT3 was, and that gave us a lot of hope about what was to come.
1. Vick
2. Taylor
3. Druck
4. DeShazo
5. Vick #2
6. Thomas
7. Glennon
8. Randall
9. Clark
10. Noel
Noel in a top 10? whaaaat
You can't leave Don Strock off this list. Top 3 easily. Led the nation in passing and offense his senior year in 1972, and went on to play 15-16 years in the NFL. Mostly as a back-up, but still...
I was only going with the past 20 years or so.
No way Glennon is higher than Randall. Winning is most important. Randall was a winner.
Otherwise, the list looks about right. But hard to put Deshazo above LT given he holds so many records.
Yeah that's a good call. Randall was 28-12 as a starter, with ACC Player of the Year honors and 1 ACC title to his name. I think Glennon was 16-9, was ACC Championship Game MVP but also had that meltdown against Georgia in the Chick-fil-a bowl.
Agree with 1-5 but I'd say 6-Randall 7-LT 8-Glennon...Randall is one of our more underrated QBs and he had an incredible senior year. I might even put Randall ahead of DeShazo or MV2.
I got Randall higher than both Glennon and Vick Jr. Played with a lot of guts and was a class act.
Randall was definitely better than Glennon and Marcus Vick.
I also put Will Furrer above Grant Noel.
IMO Vick #2 was far more talented than Randall. Our offense in 2005 was really really good. Obviously he had the wrong attitude, but again, IMO his 2005 season > Randall's 2004 season.
I have Vick #1, but where would Strock be ranked?
Just not a whole lot here are old enough to remember Strock. He definitely ranks. I'm an old man at 31 and wasn't even born when he played.
If you are old at 31, I must be decrepit or venerable at the very least.
I would say Senior Tyrod edges out Freshman Vick by a nose, just from a QB standpoint. Now, impact on the program and everything, Vick wins. But as a passer, a guy who understands the defense, etc., I'd give the edge to Tyrod in his last year.
Vick was the number 1 pick in the draft NO chance tyrod was better just no chance
That was after another year and mostly because of his freak athleticism, which was unheardof for a QB at the time. Lots of reports said that Tyrod's height kept him down, cause he's got a very strong arm, great athleticism and was a very efficient passer. Pro prospects aside, I maintain that Senior Tyrod was a better QUARTERBACK (not athlete, especially considering the landscape of college football at Vick's time - teams just had no idea how to defend a mobile QB, it just didn't happen) than Freshman Vick.
Let's not forget he was a Heisman Finalist (#2 or #3) his freshman year.
The Heisman trophy is completely irrelevant to me. It's a team award that generally goes to the QB or RB of a BCS team. The fact that BC's back even made it in the top 5 is astounding, despite the fact that he easily had the talent and production to justify winning.
But my point is that Vick's athleticism at a time when no one else in football was using mobile QBs doesn't automatically give him the top spot in my mind. As far as I'm concerned, Tyrod was the better quarterback his senior year of college.
Tyrod was a playmaker, but not the same as Vick. Tyrod had a little more accuracy his senior year but Vick in 99 was unbelievable.
Logan Thomas... ...
OT: I learned this week that Eminem is from Missouri. I never knew that (granted, I wouldn't necessarily call myself a huge fan of his work). I don't now how many people knew that but I figured I would share. I work with a woman who lives in St. Joseph (she's a temporary transplant from another division of the company) and she said she used to wait on his grand mother when she worked at a restaurant. Turns out she's a huge...well I can't say the word here but you get the idea. A very difficult customer.
I thought that was interesting. Like I said, maybe I'm just really late to the party, but it's a bit of info I never knew and thought I would share since I just learned it.
Why does Eminem keep saying he's from Detoit then?
I think most of his childhood was in Detroit. His mom kept moving and bringing him with her from Detroit to Missouri and back and forth. I forget all the details but for those interested it says it in a documentary on Netflix about him called "Eminem AKA" I think,
he apparently HATED missouri and that's why he claims detroit.
Can't say I was ever truly enamored with Missouri when we visited family there, but man, Detroit being preferable has got to say something to his experiences.
How bad does a place have to be to have Detroit be an upgrade. Yikes.
Claiming Detroit just gives him more cred in his industry.
I think if MV7 would've stayed.......no comparison, but I gotta go with T-Mobile.
Mark Leal.
Ouch
I mean, I hope next year he turns out to be better than Vick. I'd love that.
But he's not really played, and so I just figured I'd give a little dig to all the Mark Leal die-hards calling for him last season :)
Indeed.
T Martin 2.0? Remember Peyton Mannings replacement.
It really is the offseason
No doubt!
Leg for the Great Escape reference. Quality movie.
Vick by a mile. The BEST comparison would be to compare Randall and Tyrod. Not necessarily by talent level, but by on-the field accomplishments, because Randall was among VT's best.
Michael Vick. No Question...
Best as in how?
Biggest contribution to VTs image on the national stage? Vick the elder.
Most wins? Tyrod, though Vick had bigger wins and a better percentage -- but then again how much was due to surrounding talent?
Most likely to change the game? Vick, with Tyrod not too far behind. Anyone else is way behind these two
'Best' passer? You could argue Tyrod his senior year > Vick while at VT. Randal had some crazy games too though.
Who I'd want a clone of? Probably Tyrod. Vick leaned heavily on his athleticism, but the game has changed enough where he'd still be amazing, but that by itself probably wouldnt lead to a NC game like it did back then. Tyrod has the advantage of you knew he studied the game, worked hard on his mechanics on his own time (just imagine what he could have done with a competent QB coach and non-archaic offense) and was a great leader, esp his senior year.
For those commenting on Thomas's stats making him hard to leave out of the top, a lot of it has to do with the system he played in. Im not knocking him as a player as he is the QB we needed at the time, but as a starter he never attempted less than 391 passes, and averaged 407/yr and never had above a 7.7ypa. Tyrod only had more than 250 attempts once (his senior year) at 315 and had a 9.5 and 8.7 ypa - with a 37/10 TD/Int ratio his last 2 years. Basically my point is just going off pure yds/season etc does not really give an accurate picture of what was going on.
this is a silly topic....
NEXT!
Uuuummmm.....Vick hands down!
1. VICK (the elder statesman)
2. TAYLOR
3. VICK ""
4. RANDALL
5. VICK ""
6. DRUNK
7. VICK ""
8. LT3
9. VIC...you get the idea. The dude was brilliant; amazing; phenomenal; incredible; a man among boys; leagues better than everyone else...the man put us on the map. End of discussion.
Michael Vick was probably the single most dominant Quarterback to ever play the game at the college level. Ever. I'm not even exaggerating on that one. He single handedly almost won Virginia Tech the national title in 1999, and had our defense not collapsed in the 4th quarter of that game, it would have happened. He had Florida State on their heels that night. It was an incredibly impressive night, even in a losing effort, and that was backended on one of the most impressive seasons we've ever seen a QB play. Not just a freshman, ANY quarterback.
To say what anyone since him did was even comparable is vastly undervaluing what we had in Vick. He was just THAT good.
Imqagine if he would have come back for 1 more season. The D we had in 01 was pretty damned good, Suggs was there (though he got hurt when he shouldn't have been in the game), KJ as a sensational freshman. I think that would have been our year.
The Hokie Nation is so well-informed about their team history. Everyone makes some valid point. GO HOKIES!
Where is the love?
Where were the wins?
sarcasm
Grant Noel.
....said no one ever.
I would rank Grant Noel over Vick the Younger. His off the field antics tarnished him badly, and I can't forget the game against Miami where he through deep pick after deep pick.
The more I think about it, I might have to rate like this:
1 - Michael Vick
2 - Druckenmiller
3 - Tyrod
4 - Don Strock
5 - DeShazo
6 - Randall
7 - Thomas
8 - Glennon
9 - Clark
10 - Marcus Vick
Explanations... Mike Vick is clearly #1. If you ask me, he's in the discussion for one of the best QBs to ever play the collegiate game. Make no mistake, the gap between Mike Vick and everyone else for us is large. I give the edge to Druck over Tyrod because the 1995 season put us on the map. That win over Texas in the Sugar Bowl is probably one of the biggest wins in the history of the program. His fizzling out in the NFL aside, he was our biggest QB prospect going to the next level second only to Vick. I have Bryan Randall a bit higher than others because he was the heart and soul of the team that set the tone for us in the ACC. That was a huge season he put up in 2004, and SHOULD have won us the Sugar Bowl that year over undefeated Auburn (if not for a wide open dropped Jesse Allen TD pass, we win that game). I have Marcus bringing up the rear of the Top 10 because... well, he is an embarrassment to the Virginia Tech name and got kicked out of school. That said, his talent alone deserves mention in the Top 10.
jesse allen in the sugar bowl. . . smdh
I would have to put Randall ahead of DeShazo personally. I also would put Tyrod above Druck...as much as I liked Druck...Tyrod was pretty good for the Hokies.
agree on randall for sure, probably on tyrod too.
marcus on/off the field still miles better than glennon and clark.
Bud Foster...quarterback of the defense
I cannot believe no one has said Grant Throckmorten, Dave Meyer, or Mike Kocicka.
Absurd....
i used to love to drukenly yell "LET THROCK THROW THE ROCK!" at games and annoy and confuse the people in front of me.
Just some food for thought to the discussion as most of the relevant points have already been made, but is anyone else out there really curious as to what would have happened if Marcus Vick wasn't a complete turd?
I think from a quarterback skill perspective, he was better than his big brother. Obviously not as athletic (but not that far off), but in terms of accuracy, etc. Oh what could have been
If only he had not blown that Miami game in 2005.... what could have been.
That games still haunts my dreams.
The real topic should be: Which Virginia Tech QB would make the best Tight End?
Oh that's easy...
Greg Boone.
I can't remember anyone I was more frustrated at for having "stone hands" than Boooooooooooooooone.
All this talk about MV7 has me wondering what could have been if he had stayed for the entire
4 yrs at VT....
For one: We probably would not be blaming Ernest Wilford for the dropped pass in the Miami game in 2001...
Why? Did he not drop an open 2 point conversion?
If Vick would have played that year, it's doubtful that we would have been in need of that 2 point conversaion.
But one could speculate otherwise, for sure.
Exactly. If Grant Noel led us to within 2 points of sending that game to OT, after throwing 4 picks... imagine how much better that game would have gone with MV7 on offense combined with that defense.