Some may consider Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones to be an experienced player based on his record of work. A fifth-year senior, the Baylor transfer arrived to Blacksburg for the 2023 season and was thrust into action when starter Grant Wells suffered football injury in Week 2 against Purdue.
Since taking over for Wells, Drones has been the starter, ending the 2023 season strong and generating a lot of excitement for the 2024 season. Injuries plagued his season, as he missed four of the Hokies’ last five games, including the Duke Mayo Bowl against Minnesota in January.
Before the bowl game, it was revealed in December that Drones and backup Pop Watson would both return to Virginia Tech for the 2025 season. Drones was the starter, as expected, but the first two games haven’t gone as well as he or the squad would like. Pry had a remark about Drones before a big home game versus Old Dominion this Saturday night at Lane Stadium that was, well, somewhat strange after reading it a few of times.
Brent Pry has bizarre quote on QB Kyron Drones
Pry sounded stressed out during his weekly press conference. I understand, I’m not breaking any news there. When he was talking about drones, he said something that really opened my eyes.
“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,” according to Pry.
One statement that stands out is that “he’s got tremendous potential.” Yes, he does, but saying so as a senior implies that he hasn’t yet fulfilled his full potential, which isn’t ideal. If he hasn’t realized his “tremendous potential,” there may be a problem.
I’m not advocating for Drones to be benched in favor of Watson, but that comment alone should concern Virginia Tech supporters. He’s playing behind a banged-up offensive line that included a couple of redshirt freshman in the second half against Vanderbilt, which is not ideal for Week 2.
Do Drones need to play better? Yes, he does, but as a senior who has been the starter for almost two years, suggesting that “he’s got tremendous potential and to reach that potential is good for him and really good for us” is a bit of a stretch this long into Drones’ stint with the Hokies. It is appropriate for the current state of the program, which is not performing to its full capacity.