Virginia Tech football gets pivotal QB update
12/13/2024 12:17 PM
The Virginia Tech football team’s quarterback situation in 2024 was unstable, but the team is already looking forward to a more consistent season in 2025. As the team announced on social media on Friday, quarterbacks Kyron Drones and William ‘Pop’ Watson III will both return to the program in 2025 and not enter the transfer portal.
Both Drones, a junior, and Watson, a redshirt freshman, have at least one year of eligibility remaining. Both quarterbacks started multiple games for the Hokies in 2024 with similar levels of success.
Drones Strike x Bomb Pop @KyronDrones & @WW3thefuture are both returning next year #ThisIsHomepic.twitter.com/PVqja0nXOE
— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) December 13, 2024
Drones, a transfer from Baylor, is the familiar name in Blacksburg after starting 11 games in 2023 and nine games in 2024. However, he suffered a foot injury against Georgia Tech on Oct. 26 that was seemingly re-aggravated two weeks later against Clemson. His absence opened the door for Collin Schlee and, eventually, Watson.
With his third season in the books, Drones ends his 2024 campaign with 1,562 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. He added 336 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
Warner, who started the final two games of the regular season, ended 2024 with 400 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also tacked on 50 total rushing yards with one score on the ground.
Virginia Tech to face Minnesota in Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Virginia Tech still has one game left in 2024 before they can officially put a bow on Brent Pry’s third season with the team. The 6-6 Hokies will face Minnesota in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Jan. 3 with a chance to finish the year with a winning record for the second consecutive year. Drones has already been ruled out of the contest, giving Watson an opportunity to start his first bowl game.
In his two career starts, Watson led the Hokies to a 1-1 finish to end the year. His first win, a 37-17 dominant performance against rival Virginia, secured the team a bowl game berth for the second straight year. Watson threw for 254 yards in that game while finding the end zone twice; once on the ground and once through the air.
While Watson is a dual-threat quarterback, he is not the same type of rushing threat that Drones is. His pocket presence is noticeably inferior as well, with the freshman taking 10 combined sacks in his two career starts. Eight of those came in his first start against Duke.
With both Drones and Watson set to return in 2025, it is unclear who Pry intends to begin the year with as his starting quarterback. Drones would figure to have the leg-up, having been the team’s starter for most of the previous two seasons, but a big game from Watson in the Mayo Bowl could make the situation interesting in the fall.
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