Virginia Tech Football: Hokies have found their future quarterback

Before the beginning of the 2023 season, Virginia Tech football coach Brent Pry announced that Grant Wells was going to be his starting quarterback. Wells beat out Baylor transfer Kyron Drones, but Pry was quick to mention that despite Wells getting the nod, there were going to be plays in the game plan for Drones, and rightfully so.

Drones bring a different dynamic than Wells and Pry also wanted opposing teams to plan for both. In the first half of the Hokies Week 2 game at home against Purdue, Wells suffered an ankle injury, but Pry decided to keep him in the game in the second half. On the final drive for Tech and trailing 24-17, Drones was inserted into the game and moved the ball to Boilermakers’ territory, but a turnover on downs ended any comeback hopes.

Since that Saturday night on Sept. 10, Drones has been the quarterback under center for Pry and if there is anything that we’ve learned in the last couple of weeks, it’s that Drones is the future quarterback for the Hokies and it’s not even up for debate.

Kyron Drones has earned the title of QB1

In his first two ACC games against Pittsburgh and Florida State, Drones showed flashes in his all-around game, running and throwing. He looked more comfortable throwing the ball, seeing the field, and finding chemistry with his receivers.

That was evident against Wake Forest in a 30-13 win on Saturday as Jaylin had been his primary go-to guy and rightfully so, but slowly, Stephen Gosnell has been working into the offensive gameplan of coordinator Tyler Bowen. Gosnell became the go-to guy in clutch situations against the Demon Deacons and was the trusted receiver of Drones, who did complete two passes to Lane for touchdowns.

Getting chemistry with his receivers hasn’t been the only growing that Drones has done in his first season in Blacksburg, but he has done a good job of reading defenses and knowing when to tuck the ball and run it. He’s tough to bring down and Wake Forest’s defense found that out Saturday.

Going into the bye week, the Hokies have some momentum at 3-4, and with a favorable schedule over the final five weeks, it’s a possibility that they could reach six wins and become Bowl-eligible. If that is going to happen, they will need their future quarterback to lead them there.