National CFB writer names Virginia Tech's Kyron Drones an ACC Heisman Trophy contender

Going into the 2024 college football season, there are a lot of good quarterbacks in the ACC. Miami will be led by Washington State transfer Cam Ward, DJ Uiaglelei is back in the conference after transferring to Florida State from Oregon State after he began at Clemson.

Along with some transfers, some signal-callers are returning for another season in the ACC and one of those is Virginia Tech QB Kyron Drones. The Baylor transfer took over in Week 3 for the injured Grant Wells and the rest, as they say, was history. He helped to lead the Hokies from a 1-3 start to a 6-6 finish and a Military Bowl win over Tulane. Drones announced last December that he was returning to Blacksburg for another season and that is a reason why expectations are high for 2024. Jesse Simonton of On3 Sports released five ACC Heisman Trophy contenders and Drones made the cut.

Kyron Drones named ACC Heisman Trophy Contender

Simonton released his Top 5 ACC/Notre Dame ACC Heisman Trophy Contenders for the 2024 season and Drones came in at No. 4 behind Ward, Notre Dame's Riley Leonard, and North Carolina State's Grayson McCall. SMU's Preston Stone was fifth.

"The Hokies’ offense woke up once Brent Pry turned to Drones, and now they return the most production offensively of any team in the country in 2024. Drones is a true dual-threat talent, throwing 17 touchdowns to just three picks while nearly rushing for 1,000 yards. With a full season of starts, he could have over 4,000 total yards. In most years, Drones likely wouldn’t have any shot to contend for the Heisman, but in a wide-open race, what happens if he puts up huge numbers and leads the Hokies to a surprising 10-2-type season?"

- Jesse Simonton

Drones returns a lot of his supporting cast from last in his offensive line, running back Bhayshul Tuten and four wide receivers, Ali Jennings, Da'Quan Felton, Stephen Gosnell, and Jaylin Lane. There is no question that if the offense stays healthy, that they could put up some points, and Drones as a dual-threat QB is someone to watch this season, and who knows, could find himself in the Heisman conversation come November and December.