BY NATHAN WARTERS

(434) 385-5540

Logan Thomas was OK with playing some practice snaps last week at tight end. Anything to help the team, the redshirt freshman said.

But he said after Saturday’s scrimmage that he just hoped the Hokies would still give him a fair shot at the backup quarterback job.

The Lynchburg native got his wish Monday when Tech coach Frank Beamer named him the team’s No. 2 quarterback.

“I’ve come a long way since last year, and I guess that’s what’s really important, as long as I keep improving,” Thomas recently said.

The 6-foot-6, 242-pound Thomas beat out sophomore Ju-Ju Clayton for the backup job. The two battled for the No. 2 spot throughout the spring and the first nine practices this preseason. Clayton will move to No. 3 on the depth chart.

“I’ll approach it the same way, you know come in every day and strive to get better and learn behind Tyrod (Taylor, Tech’s starting quarterback), because we’re still learning behind him,” Clayton said.

Saturday’s scrimmage at Lane Stadium was the final test in the position battle, and Thomas appeared to have the better game. He completed 9 of 17 pass attempts for 82 yards. Clayton was 3 for 8 for 36 yards.

But the scrimmage was just one indicator of Thomas’s readiness to play such an important role in just his second year in the program. He had a strong spring practice and carried that over into the preseason.

“During the spring, I just learned more about the offense in general, learned more about defenses and what they’re going to try to do to you in certain situations,” Thomas said.

“I’ve had to calm down a lot and just take my time and read my progressions, and what I did that really helped me was learn the plays. I know what (defenses) are going to do now, so from there I’ve just gotten better.”

Thomas, a Brookville High graduate, is now one injury away from being the Hokies’ starting quarterback.

Taylor missed at least one game because of injury in each of his first two seasons at Tech before playing an injury-free season last year.

A Taylor injury would be devastating, as he was one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country last season — he completed 56 percent of his passes for 2,311 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions — but the Hokies’ coaches are much more confident in their backup situation this year.

“We’re much more ready for our second quarterback to come in than we were last year at this time,” Beamer said last month at ACC media days.

Thomas worked hard in the offseason to prepare himself to play this year, and Taylor noticed.

“I think he realized he has a chance to play quarterback at this level,” Taylor said of Thomas. “He has a great arm. He’s willing to learn. He asks questions if he has to. I think he just took it more serious this past spring and really put in his hard work.”

Clayton was Tech’s backup quarterback last year. He attempted only five passes and completed one for an 80-yard touchdown to Marcus Davis in mopup time against Boston College.

Thomas could still see playing time at another position this season, with tight end being the most obvious possibility.

The Hokies return only one tight end, senior Andre Smith, with any playing experience, and Thomas would be a very inviting target as a reserve or starter in Tech’s two tight end formations.

“I think he needs to be on the field,” Hokies offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring said Saturday. “We wouldn’t be repping him at tight end or H-back if we didn’t feel (that way). Certainly he’s not going to be (involved at tight end) in a huge package. It’s a condensed deal from week to week, (and) we’ll change it around and dress it up a little bit and go from there.

“He survives some licks. I think he wants to be on the field, and you want to get the best players on the field.”

But Thomas’s most substantial playing time in practice will obviously come at quarterback, where the Hokies will continue to prepare him to play.

Thomas’s appointment as the backup also gives him a leg up in the competition for the starting job next year. Taylor is a senior, and Thomas’s further development as the backup could make him the natural successor.

“He really possesses all the characteristics, not only the physical characteristics that you like, but the mental and emotional characteristics too,” said Tech quarterbacks coach Mike O’Cain. “He’s just a good person, so he possesses all those things.

“His is just a matter of getting more reps. … (This preseason) will be important for him to continue to improve and progress in the right direction. I’m feeling really good about his potential and what he can do. It’s now a matter of getting him enough reps where he can reach it.”