If you look at the body of work, Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones, some would say, is an experienced player. A fifth-year senior, the Baylor transfer came to Blacksburg for the 2023 season and was pressed into action when starter Grant Wells went down with an injury in Week 2 against Purdue.
Since taking over for Wells, Drones has been the starter, finishing the 2023 season strong, which led to a ton of hype going into the 2024 season. Injuries hampered his season, and he missed four of the Hokies' final five games, including the Duke's Mayo Bowl against Minnesota back in January.
Before the bowl game, it was announced in December that Drones and backup Pop Watson were both returning to Virginia Tech for the 2025 season. As expected, Drones was the starter, but through two games, things haven't gone as well as he or the team would like. Ahead of a huge home game against Old Dominion this Saturday night at Lane Stadium, Pry had a quote about Drones that was, well, rather bizarre if you read it a couple of times.
Brent Pry has bizarre quote on QB Kyron Drones
When Pry had his weekly press conference, he sounded like someone who was under a lot of pressure. I know, I'm not breaking any news there. When he discussed Drones, he had a quote that opened some eyes, to say the least.
"We just gotta get it more consistently and be, you know, he's got tremendous potential and to get him, like I've said all off-season, to reach that potential is good for him and really good for us," said Pry.
One thing that sticks out there is that "he's got tremendous potential." Yes, he does, but if you have to say that now as a senior, you're implying that he hasn't reached that potential yet, then that isn't good. If he hasn't reached his "tremendous potential," then there might be an issue.
I'm not calling for Drones to be benched in favor of Watson, but that quote alone should be concerning to Virginia Tech fans. He is playing behind a very banged-up offensive line, which had a handful of redshirt freshmen playing in the second half against Vanderbilt, which is not something you want to see in Week 2.
Does Drones have to play better? Yes, he does, but as a senior who has been the starter for two plus years, saying that "he's got tremendous potential and to reach that potential is good for him and really good for us'' is a rather wild quote this far into Drones' tenure with the Hokies. It fits where the program is right now, not reaching its potential.