Virginia Tech quarterback picked as breakout candidate by national CFB writer

Going into last season, Virginia Tech football coach Brent Pry said as camp broke that Grant Wells was going to be his starting quarterback, but there was going to be a package for Baylor transfer Kyron Drones. As it turned out, Wells' season lasted just two games before he missed the rest of the season with an ankle injury.

Drones took over in Week 3 at Rutgers and after getting his feet wet in Weeks 3 and 4, he quickly became a different QB and was a big part of the success the Hokies had once ACC play began where they went 5-3 to become bowl-eligible. After a Military Bowl victory over Tulane, expectations are high for Virginia Tech heading into 2024 and a big reason why is because of Drones.

Kyron Drones ready to take the next step in 2024

There is no question as to who will be under center when the seaosn starts at Vanderbilt on Labor Day Weekend, it's Drones. In fact, not only are Virginia Tech fans taking notice, but so are national college football writers. Steven Lassan of Athlon Sports listed Drones as a "quarterback on the rise.''

"The emergence of Drones in the second half of 2023 was a big reason why Virginia Tech showed marked improvement and enters this offseason as a dark horse contender in the ACC.

The Baylor transfer took over the starting job in the Hokies' third contest and finished with 2,085 passing yards and 17 touchdowns to just three picks. The Texas native hammered defenses on the ground with 818 rushing yards and five scores, including 176 in the bowl win over Tulane.

As a result of Drones' development, Virginia Tech went 5-2 in its last seven games and scored at least 30 points in five of those contests.
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- Steven Lassan

If there is one thing that sticks out with Drones stats last season, it's his touchdown to-interception numbers, 17-3. For a quarterback in the ACC who had very little experience to step in Week 3 and have a season like that says a lot. As the season went on, he played with confidence and once he started running the ball with confidence, that opened up the playbook for offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen.

Earlier this week Drones said that he wants to be a leader for the team and offense. There is no doubt that he has the tools to do it and will do it, which along with a ton of retention from the 2023 roster makes him prime to have a breakout season and the Hokies to certainly be a sleeper in the ACC in 2024.