Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon was shocked by a story he saw Wednesday morning in the school's student newspaper.

"I was reading it and it says: 'Sean Glennon is expected to miss three or four practices.' I said, 'pffffftttttt, I'm not even going to miss three or four drills," Glennon scoffed.

"My thumb had to be cut off before I wasn't going to be out here!"

And there he was late Wednesday afternoon in Rector Field House, looking very much like Tech's No. 1 quarterback in the first of 15 spring-practice workouts.

Two days after Tech coach Frank Beamer announced that he would likely miss a couple of practices because of cut thumb on his throwing hand, Glennon was by far the best player at his position, delivering the football accurately and looking more confident than ever.

"The only thing I can't do is take a snap," said Glennon, who cut himself on a bottle last Friday night in his apartment kitchen. "I'm ready to go. I've been waiting for Day 1 of spring since about Jan. 1."

Since his nightmarish fourth-quarter performance in Tech's 31-24 Chick-fil-A Bowl loss to Georgia, Glennon's sole solemn goal outside of the class room has concerned personal redemption. He's added 10 pounds to his 6-foot-4 frame and set all kinds of position records in the weight room.

"I definitely wanted to show everyone that I'm still the guy ... I'm taking it seriously ... I'm trying to get myself better for y'all," said Glennon, whose first season as Tech's starting QB was going fine until he turned the ball over on four consecutive possessions in Tech's fourth-quarter flameout against Georgia.

"I didn't want anyone to see me change my work ethic or attitude just because of what people are saying or whatever happened in the bowl game. I wanted to show everyone I'm back.

"I want to prove everyone wrong this year. I want to prove to those who say, 'he can't take 'em to the ACC championship, he can't do this ... ' I want to prove all that wrong."

While Glennon looked better than anyone probably would have guessed, the two guys chasing him for the starting QB job -- Cory Holt and Ike Whitaker -- had first-day struggles with throwing accuracy. Except for a beautiful 80-yard touchdown connection with Justin Harper, Whitaker's right arm was all over the lot in his first official workout with the team since he left the squad in mid-December to enter a since successfully completed alcohol rehabilitation program.

"I started off rusty ... I just wasn't on target," Whitaker said.

"I knew that everybody knew it. I think I put a little too much pressure on myself. I was coming out here expecting to do something big ... complete every pass, throw every spiral and that didn't happen."

Bad day, hey? Not hardly.

"It's the best day I've had in three months," a grinning Whitaker said. "It's a great feeling being back on the field with the team, the coaches. My problem is behind me. It's just great."

Can he overtake Glennon for the No. 1 job?

"Oh, yeah, I'm coming," Whitaker said. "The job is open. Definitely."