ROANOKE, Va. – During his weekly press conference Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente announced that three student athletes have decided to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal. The most notable being quarterback Quincy Patterson II.
“Quincy and I had many conversations about this,” Fuente said.
“The other week he got hit on the thumb on his throwing hand and it was swollen pretty well and he really couldn’t grip a football. So I’m not sure if he would have been able to play for us these past couple of weeks so I think that aided in that decision.”
Patterson was a highly recruited quarterback from the Solorio Academy in Chicago where his play earned him an invitation to participate in Elite 11, the nation’s premier quarterback competition, in Beaverton, Oregon.
Just minutes after the conclusion of Coach Fuente’s press conference, Patterson released his official statement via Twitter.
“In their hearts human plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps” ♥️
— Quincy Patterson II (@quincy_qb1) November 30, 2020
Proverbs 16:9 pic.twitter.com/nNYr5O33lD
Patterson mentioned that although the timing was weird, it was a decision that “was not made hastily.”
During his three seasons in Blacksburg, Patterson appeared in 13 games, making one start. He passed for 359 yards and 4 touchdowns, while racking up 74 carries for 333 yards and 3 touchdowns.
“I just want to publicly thank Quincy for his time here. Just a fantastic young man, played a vital role on our football team. Quincy knows how I feel about him and his folks and we stand ready to help him in any way we can in moving forward. Moving forward I look forward to watching him play and getting on the field in a more consistent basis,” said Fuente.
The Hokies also had two wide receivers enter their names in the portal in the past few days. Redshirt sophomore Darryle Simmons made 7 appearances during his time at Virginia Tech. Coach Fuente said he’s considering the I-AA route to get immediate playing time.
Elijah Bowick also plans to explore other options after redshirting in 2019 and playing in 5 games this season.