Kyron Drones, Virginia Tech
Kyron Drones won a state title in Texas as a junior. He will compete for the starting QB position at Virginia Tech. (@KyronDrones)

Virginia Tech picked up a big wide receiver commitment on Monday night from Old Dominion transfer Ali Jennings III. After posting two big seasons with the Monarchs, he has one season of eligibility remaining. The Hokies also got their transfer portal quarterback target, Kyron Drones of Baylor, who verbally committed to the Hokies within an hour of Jennings’ announcement.

Jennings attended Highland Springs High School in Richmond where he was coached by former Virginia Tech defensive back Loren Johnson. He signed with West Virginia out of high school, where he posted 19 catches for 192 yards and a touchdown in 2019 as a true freshman. He only appeared in five games in 2020, and then he transferred to ODU, where he put up big numbers in 2021 and 2022…

2021: 62 catches, 1,066 yards, 17.2 avg, 5 TDs (13 games)
2022: 54 catches, 959 yards, 17.8 avg, 9 TDs (nine games)

For his career, Jennings has 142 receptions for 2,265 yards, while averaging 16 yards per catch and scoring 16 touchdowns.

At 6-2, 196, Jennings is projected to play outside receiver at Virginia Tech, which is where he primarily lined up for the Monarchs. He had five receptions for 122 yards against the Hokies this past September, including the deep ball on ODU’s final possession that set up the game-winning touchdown.

Jennings is very close to Virginia Tech wide receivers coach Fontel Mines, and the two have known each other since Jennings was very young. Mines recruited him to Old Dominion after he left West Virginia. Jennings should also be pretty familiar with the Virginia Tech offense as ODU head coach Ricky Rahne’s time at Penn State overlapped with both current VT OC Tyler Bowen and then-PSU OC Joe Moorhead.

Kyron Drones was a 4-star prospect and the No. 130 player in the country according to 247Sports. After redshirting for Baylor in 2021, he went 14-of-23 (60.9%) for 219 yards with one touchdown and one interception in 2022. He also had eight carries for 49 yards (6.1 ypc) and two touchdowns.

At 6-2, 223, Drones has good size and he brings dual threat ability to Virginia Tech. A Pearland, Texas native, he played for Shadow Creek High School outside of Houston. In his two seasons as starting quarterback he threw for nearly 5,000 yards with 67 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He rushed for 825 yards as a junior and a further 472 yards as a senior, and averaged over six yards per carry in both seasons. Drones only appeared in nine games as a senior due to injury, but he led his team to the Texas 5A Division I State Championship and was named Offensive MVP of the state title game as a junior.

Drones lacks experience, but he has three years of eligibility remaining, and should compete with Grant Wells for the starting position when spring practice opens.

With the commitment of Jennings, Tech now has 13 scholarship wide receivers. The addition of Drones puts the Hokies at six scholarship quarterbacks. The 2023 roster management page is updated. Brent Pry and his staff are currently at 88 scholarship players for next season, 46 on the offensive side of the ball.