By TOM BONE
BLACKSBURG, Va. — All coaches like to have options. Virginia Tech’s football coaches are sorting through a huddle-full of them to choose a starting quarterback.
Four Hokies got limited chances to make a final impression as Tech concluded its spring season on Saturday with an intrasquad game at Lane Stadium, and none was publicly picked to replace the dismissed Marcus Vick.
Head coach Frank Beamer realizes that the indecision should not continue indefinitely. Beamer said after the spring game, “I’d like to get it settled, to be honest. I think we’ll be better once we get a direction. The quicker we can do that, the better this football team will be.
“We are going to watch this video carefully, then think back at what has taken place over all of spring practice."
The 2004 backup, Sean Glennon, played sure, mostly conservative ball with a well-studied grasp of the offensive strategy. Cory Holt, who mopped up for Vick last fall, showed a powerful arm and flashes of Michael Vick-like scrambling.
Freshman Ike Whitaker was a perfect 6-of-6 passing, playing for both the Maroon and the White Team.
Redshirt freshman Greg Boone got a short look-see and drew roars from the crowd when he improvised away from pass-rushers and bulled for positive yardage. At 6-foot-3, Boone weighs in at around 280 pounds, the coaches said.
But his downside is a lack of preparation time.
Beamer said, “He’s the fourth one (on the depth chart) right now. He’s just behind. He needs to play somewhere on this football team next fall. He is a player.”
The coach told the media, “Whichever quarterback it is, I think we’re going to have a good quarterback. I don’t think there’s a bad one; it’s just which one is going to give us the best opportunity to win next year.”
Glennon said, “Overall, I think I had a good spring. I just wish I could’ve put on a better show today. ... I didn’t have enough plays to have a wide array of passes thrown.” His five pass completions on six tries gained 36 yards.
“Everybody showed a little spark of their talent today,” said Glennon.
Whitaker said, “It’s a horse race right now.”
The new quarterbacks coach, Mike O’Cain, was asked about his impression of the two players with some experience in Blacksburg, Glennon and Holt.
“I feel good about both of those young men,” he said. “I believe they both have abilities to lead the football team. I was pleased with the knowledge base that they brought into this spring. They’ve made very few mental mistakes.”
O’Cain didn’t rule out Whitaker, either. He was listed on the official depth chart at No. 3, while a boldface “OR” separated Glennon and Holt above him.
O’Cain said, “I haven’t seen enough of Ike yet to make a grade. Seven days is not enough time to make an evaluation.
“He does some great things, then sometimes his athleticism gets him in trouble. It’ll bail him out, sometimes, but it’ll get him in trouble sometimes, too. And he doesn’t have the knowledge of our offense that Sean and Cory have — because he hasn’t been here.”
He said, laughing, that he’d like to “take all three of them and put them together.”
