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Dec 4, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) jogs into the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of the 2010 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Virginia Tech won 44-33. Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Ranking the Top Five Virginia Tech Quarterbacks Since 2000

Originally posted on Virginia Tech Hokies on SI
By Thomas Hughes | Last updated Jul 11, 2025 12:12 PM ET

With just over seven weeks to go before Virginia Tech football's 2025 campaign begins, here's a look back at the past quarter-century of Hokies under center and the top five to do so. From ACC titles to memorable bowl wins, these signal-callers have been at the heart of some of the program’s brightest moments. As the Hokies look ahead to another season, it’s worth revisiting the standout quarterbacks who shaped the past 25 years in Blacksburg.

#5: Jerod Evans (2016)

Evans sports the highest yards-per-game career average (253.3). Part of that is because Evans spent only one season in Blacksburg, but that one season was prolific. Under Evans' command, Tech compiled 10 wins in 2016 en route to a final ranking of No. 16 in the AP poll. It was the Hokies' first season with double-digit wins since 2011.

Among Evans’ highlights was a record-setting comeback in the 2016 Belk Bowl against Arkansas, where he led Tech from a 24–0 halftime deficit to a 35–24 win — the largest comeback in school history.

That year, Evans finished with 29 touchdowns, the most in a single season of Hokies football. The reason why he doesn't rank higher? It's a low sample size, particularly concerning his yards-per-game average. Had he played another year or two at Blacksburg, No. 3 or No. 4 would be a reasonable placing.

#4: Logan Thomas (2010-2013)

Thomas started for four seasons, compiling 9,003 passing yards. That remains a Tech record, alongside his 53 passing touchdowns and 10,373 total yards (counting passing, rushing and receiving yards).

Thomas guided the Hokies to an ACC Championship Game appearance in 2011, showcasing both his arm strength and rushing prowess.

77 passing and rushing touchdowns over a career at Virginia Tech is a number that may never be surmounted again, with the transfer portal being ubiquitous and almost every future NFL quarterback playing at multiple colleges.

Thomas went on to the NFL, where he was a backup quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and New York Giants. In 2016, he switched to the tight end position and played for seven more years, with the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders (then the Washington Football Team).

#3: Bryan Randall (2001-2004)

Randall, who started the last three years of his collegiate career, remains the leader of the Big East single-game record for passing yards (504).

He sits second on the Hokies' all-time leaderboard in both passing yards (6,508) and passing touchdowns (48). Randall lifted Tech as high as No. 3 in his first season as a starter (2002) and led the team to its first of four ACC championships in 2004.

Randall also was crafty on the ground, compiling 1,526 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns over his career.

#2: Michael Vick (1999*-2000)

If the 1999 season counted toward this list, Vick would be No. 1. That season, the Hokies finished second and lost in the national championship game to the Florida State Seminoles.

Though 2000 wasn't as fruitful, resulting in a sixth-place finish in the national rankings, Vick's peak still places him here. Despite battling an ankle injury that limited his mobility for stretches of the season, he still managed to lead Tech to an impressive 11–1 record, their second straight season with such a record. His highlights in that season included 210 rushing yards against Boston College, and a comeback from a 14-0 shortfall against Syracuse that was punctuated by a 55-yard Vick run.

Vick finished the year with 1,439 passing yards, nine passing touchdowns and 636 rushing yards, showcasing the dual-threat explosiveness that would soon make him the NFL’s No. 1 overall draft pick in 2001. Even with fewer games played at full health, he compiled the highest yards-per-attempt average (9.82) in program history, underlining just how dangerous he was every time he touched the ball.

#1: Tyrod Taylor (2007-2010)

Three ACC championships. The most wins for a Hokies quarterback (34). 67 combined touchdowns in four years. Adding 2,196 rushing yards — 15th most on Tech's all-time rushing yards list — makes him the pick for No. 1 since Vick's 1999 season doesn't count towards this ranking.

Though his tenure came with highs and lows — especially 2010, where the Hokies lost two straight to Boise State and FCS school James Madison to kick off the year — those highs represented one of the pinnacles of the Hokies' football program. That 2010 season later saw Tech win 11 straight en route to its fourth ACC title in seven years, guided by Taylor's 24 passing touchdowns.

Taylor is still an active football player, playing for the New York Jets in the National Football League.

With another season on the horizon, the Virginia Tech faithful can only hope that the next great quarterback is waiting to etch his name into the pantheon of Hokies quarterbacks.

This article first appeared on Virginia Tech on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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