Virginia Tech's Dark Horse Heisman Candidate
Kyron Drones is bringing 2000s vibes back to Blacksburg.
I know I’m good. I know I got game.
Michael Vick, football icon
Few would have taken you seriously if you told them during the 2022 college football (CFB) offseason that the TCU Horned Frogs would be in the national championship game later that year. TCU, a perennial also-ran in the BIG-12, had one thing going for them that many were not aware of—they returned a lot of production on both sides of the ball. Notably, their steely-eyed QB, Max Duggan, RB Kendre Miller, and stud WR Quinten Johnston, among many others.
Their roster—thanks to a change in eligibility rules due to the COVID season—was incredibly senior-laden, and this provided an advantage over the programs they played, which were predominantly comprised of 18-21 year olds.
Indeed, even UGA head football coach, Kirby Smart, was quoted earlier this offseason about the importance of having an experienced team and a senior QB, referencing the rosters of the two finalists in this past season’s national championship game.
This year, it may interest the reader to know that the Virginia Tech (VT) Hokies return 98% of offensive line snaps from 2023, their QB, their RB, and their top three WRs from a year ago (plus they get 1000+ yard receiver Ali Jennings back, who basically missed all of 2023 due to injury).
The returning influx of experience has ignited some quiet optimism amongst Hokie fans and CFB degenerates alike—albeit perhaps for different reasons. All the same, the Hokies—specifically their QB Kyron Drones—look primed to leave a mark on the ACC in 2024, and I suggest the reader acquaint themselves with this program ahead of time if they like winning their CFF leagues.
Returning Snaps Leading to a Boon in Production
If you look at the most productive QBs at the end of last season, you’ll find that many of them were 1) highly experienced (like, fourth or fifth year in college) and 2) playing on different teams than they started their careers with. Players like LSU’s Jayden Daniels, UW’s Michael Penix Jr., Oregon’s Bo Nix, JMU’s Jordan McCloud, and others all finished as top-10 QBs in CFF on the year.
Virginia Tech’s Kyron Drones fits this description, beginning his career at Baylor in 2021, before transferring to VT last offseason. He played sparingly during his time with the Bears, appearing in only seven games total over his first two seasons. This past year, his first with the Hokies, he averaged just over 19 PPG in four point passing TD formats, but he finished the year with performances of 30, 24, 24 and 34 points.
His average on the year is weighed down by the fact that he didn’t actually become the starter until about week three. In his first two weeks, he scored ~0 and ~2 points. Adjusting for those scores, his average was just over 22 on the year. I know, still not exactly amazing (he had a few duds later in the season that are dragging this figure down too). But, he showed enough upside—specifically rushing upside—to warrant our attention. I’m bullish on what he will be able to do in Year Two.
Part of the reason for that optimism is Drones will be playing behind an offensive line that returns almost every snap played from last season. He’ll also have his two primary WRs, Jaylin Lane and Da’Quan Felton, plus Ali Jennings returns from injury. Jennings is best remembered from his time as a 1000-yard receiver at Old Dominion (ODU), and his first and only game in 2023 saw him catch five passes for 72 yards and two scores. RB Bayshul Tuten returning can’t hurt either. That’s a lot of familiarity coming back.
As a bonus, VT has a very manageable schedule in 2024. They avoid FSU, and their out of conference opponents consist of ODU, Marshall, Rutgers, and Vanderbilt. While they’ll still have to get by Miami and Clemson, I do not think it’s out of the realm of possibility that they beat at least one of those teams in-season.
Kyron ‘The Right-Handed Michael Vick’ Drones
H/W: 6’2-230 — 2023 PPG: 19 (Four Point Passing TD)
Few will remember the golden days of the Hokies, but it was not long ago when they were rattling off 10+ win seasons with the consistency of an Allen Iverson crossover (who himself was an absolutely filthy dual threat QB in Virginia high school football in the 90s). The early part of that golden era featured probably the most prominent dual threat QB to ever touch a football, Michael Vick, who played for the Hokies between 1998 and 2000. Unfortunately, the Hokies haven’t had an athlete quite like that at the QB position since. Their latest pivot isn’t Michael Vick, let’s be clear about that, but he’s pretty damn athletic himself, albeit in a slightly different way (Drones is a lot bigger).
In late February, I released my Q1 rankings for CFF, and while I didn’t specifically rank the players in a literal order, Drones was the sixth QB I listed. I don’t know if I’d draft him as the sixth QB in a CFF draft, but I do feel comfortable saying he’ll be a top-10 QB in my final rankings come August.
Like his Tech predecessor, Drones is dangerous because of his legs. Curiously, however, despite rushing often in 2023 (including four games with 20 or more carries), he only scored five rushing TDs. I don’t know if this was by design, where the RB monopolized carries in the red zone, or simply a coincidence, but I think it’s fair to say any player who’s rushing 166 times for over 800 yards is probably going to score more than five times usually. Especially when you consider that he wasn’t really the starter until a few weeks into the season.
For some context, last year’s Heisman winner, Jayden Daniels, ran 186 times for 885 yards and 11 TDs in 2022, the year before his monster season this past year.
Entering into 2023, LSU returned a stable of skill players, including Malik Nabers, Kyren Lacy, and Brian Thomas at WR. Similarly, while the LSU offensive line might not have been as experienced as Tech’s is entering 2024, they were effective with two players who started as true freshmen the previous season. All of these factors led to an offensive explosion and a Heisman trophy for their QB.
A Fairly Unknown Staff From a CFF Perspective
Perhaps the most prominent strike against Drones’ 2024 profile is the uncertainty of the system he plays in.
Former PSU defensive coordinator Brent Pry took over the VT head coaching opening in the 2022 offseason—his first appointment in such a position. He served on James Franklin’s staff from 2016-2021 as DC and LBs coach, and PSU is likely where he met his future OC—Tyler Bowen, who was the offensive recruiting coordinator and TEs coach in 2018-19 for the Lions, and later the co-OC in 2020.
Bowen spent one year in-between his collegiate stints with Pry working as the TEs coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021, before returning to CFB in 2022, joining the Hokies as OC and TEs coach. Prior to PSU, Bowen was the offensive line coach at Maryland, and the OC at FCS school Fordham.
So, there won’t be much to go off of when looking at the patterns of production here. Pry, as a defensive coach, is not really relevant for this discussion. Outside of Drones, I’d say there weren’t really any special stat lines from Tech’s 2023 offence. The receiving numbers on aggregate won’t wow you, but each of Jaylin Lane and Da’Quan Felton had there moments. As did RB Bayshul Tuten, who finished with over 1000 yards total. 2022 was much of the same, but with much worse QB play.
Bowen’s 2020 PSU offence didn’t feature a notable QB, but it was headlined by WR Jahan Dotson, who was on pace for 1000 yards in that shortened season, finishing with 884 yards and eight scores in nine games.
The only other notable pig in Bowen’s short history as a play caller came during his season at Fordham (2016). RB Chase Edmonds ran 257 times for 1853(!) yards and 19 TDs in only 11 games. He also caught another 25 passes for 272 yards and another score. This data point is more of a one-off than anything, so I wouldn't read too much into Edmonds’ usage. But it is good to know that Bowen will #PIG his RB if he thinks he’s good enough.
Closing
I am extremely bullish on the Hokies entering 2024. I view their QB as a guy who is not being valued properly by the CFF crowd right now; and in absolute terms, he’s a top-10 QB in my rankings currently. The biggest strikes against Drones’ profile are the limited sample size of last year, the fairly unknown staff, and the inconsistency he showed in 2023.
However, there’s some 2023 LSU/Jayden Daniels vibes here, and I want to position my exposure appropriately. Drones’ ADP is currently 117 according to Campus2Canton’s tool. That’ll rise over the next several months.
It’s a big year for Virginia Tech, one in which the Hokies could channel some 2000s vibes and unload a can of whoop ass on a poor, unsuspecting ACC (who are half-focused on plotting their next moves to the B1G/SEC anyways). Don’t be surprised if VT is in the conversation and/or driver seat to win the conference in November.
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