It’s been quite a while since Virginia Tech had a serious Heisman candidate on its team and at quarterback, but that could change this season. Given the dynamic skills dual-threat quarterback Kyron Drones showed for the Hokies in the second half of the year and the way Virginia Tech finished its 2024 season, it’s not an exaggeration to say that if Drones takes the next step and Virginia Tech lives up to its lofty expectations this season, Drones should be in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race this season.
Josh Pate, one of the voices of college football, agrees, saying the following on his latest episode of “Late Kick with Josh Pate”:
“Virginia Tech has a chance to be a playoff contender towards the end of the year, they have a chance to be an ACC title contender towards the end of the year, they have a chance to have an explosive running game. I don’t think Drones is going to have the passing numbers that some of those guys have, he’s going to have to complement them with his footwork, not that he’s going to have triple-option passing numbers, but last year he had a 17:3 touchdowns to interceptions ratio, he ran for five, he’s got to double that rushing touchdown number, his completion percentage has to go from 58% to over 60%, and it absolutely could, it absolutely could. They’re going to have a really complementary style that helps him, and it’s going to take voters watching him. Don’t look at box scores, which a lot of Heisman voters unfortunately do, but when that running game gets going and we as voters really value playing in a way that best suits your team “We’re prepared to win football games, and we know that yards gained on the ground count just as much as yards gained in the air. If we can figure that out, then Kyron drones should be on this thing.”
Drones was named to the Manning Award Watch List today, which is given to the best quarterback in college football at the end of the season.
Transfers and new recruits to their schools were not considered for the preseason watch list this season.
The Manning Award has been given annually since the 2004 football season and is designed to honor the best quarterback in college football as judged by the Sugar Bowl Committee. It is the only quarterback award that takes each nominee’s postseason performance into account in the voting.
The full preseason watch list includes 29 of the nation’s top quarterbacks for the 2024 season. The winner will be selected again after the postseason by a voting panel that includes the national media and each of the Mannings.
The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl to honor the achievements of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning in college football.
Inclusion on the watch list is not required for quarterbacks to be selected for this award. Additional quarterbacks will be added to the watch list throughout the season. Finalists will be selected prior to the postseason and the winner will be announced after the College Football Playoff National Championship.
ACC representatives on the preseason watch list for the 2024 Manning Award:
Thomas Castellanos, Boston College, junior, QB
Cade Klubnik, Clemson, junior, QB
Haynes King, Georgia Tech, redshirt junior, QB
Preston Stone, SMU, redshirt junior, QB
Kyron Drones, Virginia Tech, redshirt junior, QB
Our own RJ Schafer had this to say about drones after previously being named to the Davey O’Brien Award Watch List:
“Expectations are certainly high for Drones after his tremendous 2023 season. He was one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, throwing for over 2,000 yards and rushing for 818 yards and five touchdowns. He threw just three interceptions while throwing seventeen touchdowns and completely dominated some very solid ACC defenses. There is still room for improvement, but Brent Pry and this Virginia Tech coaching staff seem very confident in his abilities.
Kyron Drones is also very confident and knows he can succeed at the next level. During a press conference in the spring, Kyron was quoted as saying, “There’s no one who’s perfect, but I try to be as good as I can be. I hold myself to a certain standard and it’s been that way my whole life. I’m hard on myself. I know sometimes it’s not good to be too hard on yourself, but that’s just the way I am. I hold myself to a certain standard that no one else holds me to.”
Drones is certainly in for a great year in 2024 and is a player who could compete for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award at the end of the season. This will be Kyron’s first full season at the helm and he will have all the key factors for the offense in his hands, plus he is a year older and knows the system much better. The potential is huge and NFL scouts should keep a very close eye on Kyron Drones.
