Virginia Tech has had a rush of players to the transfer portal, but not at quarterback.
Kyron Drones, who battled injuries in a disappointing 2024 season that saw him miss three of the final four games, will return to the Hokies in 2025, head coach Brent Pry announced Friday. Both he and redshirt freshman Pop Watson plan to be on the team next year.
"Couldn't be happier about both those guys re-upping their commitment to us," Pry said. "We have a very good quarterback room moving forward with those guys, Davi [Belfort] and obviously our two signees [AJ Brand and Kelden Ryan], that have had impressive high school senior seasons."
The 6-foot-2, 234-pound Drones, who has a year of eligibility remaining, surged at the end of 2023, revitalizing the offense and raising hopes with a game MVP effort in the rain-soaked Military Bowl against Tulane, when he had two touchdown passes and 176 yards and another score on the ground. He finished the year with 2,084 passing yards and 17 touchdowns and added 818 rushing yards and five scores.
The Houston, Texas, native looked uneasy in the pocket early in 2024, though, with four touchdowns and three picks in the non-conference portion of the season. He found his groove in October, nearly leading a comeback win against top-10 Miami and turning in his two most efficient passing days at Stanford and against Boston College.
Leg injuries limited his effectiveness down the stretch, however. He was hobbled against Georgia Tech and more so against Clemson and didn’t suit up for Syracuse, Duke and UVa, wearing a knee brace near the end.
Drones completed 136 of 224 passes (60.7%) in 2024 for 1,562 yards, with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. He ran 98 times for 336 yards and six touchdowns, though his yards-per-carry average dropped to 3.4 from 4.9 last season.
Pry said he does not expect Drones to play in the Duke's Mayo Bowl.
"That’s probably unlikely," he said. "He had a couple different injuries that he was dealing with. I think we all know he’s tough as nails, but one in particular has been problematic in a recovery path. I’m not going to rule it out, but I’d say it’s unlikely."
Though his experience is limited, Watson sure looked the part at the end of the year, throwing for 400 yards and a touchdown and running for another score in the Hokies’ final two games. The Springfield, Mass., product led Tech in a 37-point effort against UVa in his first career start in the regular season finale, accounting for 254 yards and a score through the air and another 48 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
With Collin Schlee exhausting his eligibility, it'll be three freshmen on the depth chart after Drones and Watson. Belfort, a 2024 signee, redshirted this fall. Two more quarterbacks — Ryan out of Texas and Brand out of South Carolina — signed last week and arrive this winter.
Though the winter transfer portal window closes on Dec. 28, there is still one after spring ball from April 16-25.