Heading into last season, there was a lot of talk about Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones building off of his strong finish to the 2023 season and potentially being a darkhorse choice for the Heisman Trophy.
One of the voices of college football, Josh Pate, had this to say on am episode of his show heading into the season:
“Virginia Tech has an opportunity to be a playoff contender late in the year, they have a chance to be an ACC title contender late in the year, they have a chance to have a dynamite run game. Now, I don’t think Drones is going to have the passing numbers that some of these guys do, he is going to have to supplement it with his work with his legs, not that he is going to have triple option passing numbers, but last year, 17-3 touchdown to interception ratio, he ran for five, he needs to double that rushing touchdown number, his completion percentage needs to bump up from 58% and into the 60’s and it absolutely could, it absolutely could. They are going to have a really complementary style to help him and it is going to take voters watching him. Don’t be checkin box scores, which a lot of Heisman voters unfortunately do, but if that ground game is churning and as a voter, if we really care about playing in a manner that best equips your team to win football games and we understand that yards gained on the ground count just as much as yards gained through the air, if we understand that, then Kyron Drones should be in this thing as well.”
Things did not go as planned last season for either Drones or Virginia Tech. Drones missed four games last season, including the bowl loss against Minnesota, due to an injury and it affected him in the spring as well, with the program releasing a statement about him having a minor procedure.
“Kyron Drones is scheduled to have a minor medical procedure and we’ve made the decision to hold him out for the remainder of spring practice. Kyron has demonstrated excellent leadership and has had an outstanding winter and spring. We fully anticipate he will be ready to return for summer workouts.”
There are a lot of question marks with this Virginia Tech team in 2025 so it does not all fall on Drones, but his health has to be the top priority for this team going into the season.
Even when he was healthy, Drones did not take the step forward that many around the country were expecting. He finished with 1,562 yards passing with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions, as well as 336 yards rushing and six touchdowns. It was not a terrible season for Drones, but was not the Heisman type of season that some were thinking he could have and he took a step back rushing. Drones did finish as the second-highest graded player on the Hokies offense per PFF (Pro Football Focus), finishing with a 79.6 grade in 533 snaps. He finished with a 73.2 passing grade and a 73.4 rushing grade.
In the nine games that he did play, Drones only had two games over 200 yards passing (vs Vanderbilt and Stanford) and there were some games where he really struggled with his accuracy. In the loss to Rutgers, Drones was 13-27 for 137 yards and in the loss to Clemson, he was 9-20 for 115 yards. Injuries played a big part in Drones season, but he was not very consistent even when he played.
This Virginia Tech offense is going to look a lot different around Drones in 2025. It is a new look backfield, wide receiver group, and offensive line this season and Drones is going to be working with a new offensive coordinator. Head coach Brent Pry brought in former Baylor and Auburn offensive coordinator Phillip Montgomery to call the plays and lead the offense. Montgomery spoke highly of Drones ability this spring to be a building block for the offense this season:
“Yeah, I think he’s done an outstanding job. As we’ve sat through meetings and been able to start talking ball and installing, I think he’s picking it up well as long as well as you know a lot of the other guys offensively you know this thing won’t be all about about him you know it’s about us as a unit and what we can accomplish as a unit and it’s 11 guys paying attention to details and executing on the field so obviously a lot of it starts and stops with him but I could say the same thing about the offensive line it all starts and stops with them as well.”
With so many new faces on the offense and a new coordinator, what should be the reasonable expectation for Drones this season? Will we see the talented player who looked like one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country in 2023? Or will the inconsistencies slow him down, as well as all of the new faces. Virginia Tech has a huge test to start the season against South Carolina, who had one of the best defenses in the country last season. If Drones is healthy and playing like his 2023 self, this could be a closer game than many expect.
There are plenty of new faces on Virginia Tech on both the roster and the coaching staff, but the season could hinge on Drones returning to form. Pop Watson is an intriguing young prospect, but he may still need some development while incoming Oklahoma State transfer Garret Rangel was just ok with the Cowboys. If Drones cannot be the dynamic quarterback this team needs, it could spell trouble for Virginia Tech. If he can, they could emerge as an ACC darkhorse.
