'I've Got My Own Way of Being a Leader': Virginia Tech Quarterback Kyron Drones Awaits His Senior Campaign

Kyron Drones isn’t, in his own words, a “rah-rah screaming kind of guy.” Instead, he leads by example, letting his play speak for him. That voice was muted last season by a series of injuries — including a sprained MCL, turf toe and a stress fracture — but it returns for his final collegiate campaign. The redshirt senior enters 2025 with one year of eligibility remaining, having already used his redshirt season in 2021 at Baylor.

This season, Drones will have a new offensive coordinator: Philip Montgomery, the former head coach at Tulsa. When Drones was coming out of high school, the then-head coach Montgomery gave him an offer to come to the Golden Hurricane, one that Drones passed up on to head to McLennan.

"Just a level of consistency Coach Monte wants me to get to each and every day, the standard he sets me to," Drones said on Thursday's media availability at the 2025 ACC Kickoff when asked about how Montgomery could unlock his full potential. "I just love our bond already, even though I've only been with him since January, me and him got so close, just him being a quarterback guy and he also offered me coming out of high school. So, he's been wanting me to be his quarterback, and I'm just glad I get the opportunity with him."

That opportunity also comes with a revamped offensive line. Following the departure of Ron Crook, Matt Moore ventures over from West Virginia to become the Hokies' new O-line coach, bringing along with him a trio of his players from Morgantown: right tackle Tomas Rimac (Rimac played left guard for the Mountaineers, but started at right tackle for the spring game), center Kyle Altuner and offensive tackle Lucas Austin. The former two are projected to start on the Hokies' front five this year and they have Drones' confidence behind them.

"They've been doing a real good job," Drones said. "They've been doing extra workouts outside of the workouts we've been doing, just being in that extra meeting room with Coach Moore. I'm thankful that I got that line for me. I wouldn't want any other O-line in the country. But my best five is Johnny [Garrett], Layth [Ghannam], Kyle [Altuner], Montavious [Cunningham and] Tommy [Rimac]. They've been doing really good things, and I'm excited I've got them in front."

This season represents the changing of the guard in many ways. After the 2025 campaign, Drones will no longer be around, having exhausted his eligibility following the conclusion of this season barring a medical redshirt. The cast he's working around is almost entirely new, as well. At tailback, Bhayshul Tuten and Malachi Thomas are gone, the former to the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and the latter to Purdue. In the wide receiver room, Da'Quan Felton, Stephen Gosnell, Ali Jennings and Jaylin Lane all have gone to the NFL, either as draft picks or signing a undrafted free agent contract. Tight end is the main position other than quarterback with little turnover; Benji Gosnell remains the top dog of the tight ends, with Harrison Saint Germain and Zeke Wimbush backing him up. In the wideout room, Ayden Greene enters his junior season looking to build on his connection with Drones, highlighted by a touchdown against Miami last year.

"We're a whole new team, a whole new identity," Drones said. "Everything happens for a reason. We're here to show people that we aren't a team to be slept on."

Beyond Ayden Greene, several new faces will be tasked with stepping into key roles. Transfers like Cameron Seldon and Donavon Greene are expected to make an immediate impact. The offensive line must adapt quickly to a reshuffled skill-position group and maintain protection for Drones in his final year. Defensively, there's more continuity, especially at the linebacker position, which offers hope for stability, but the offense’s ability to gel will likely define both how competitive Virginia Tech is in the ACC race and the outcome its neutral-site opener against South Carolina.

Despite the new faces on offense, Drones said that it's the closest team that he's been around in Blacksburg, referencing his first Baylor team. Drones then went on to talk about his offseason regiment with cousin Cameron Ward and fellow quarterback Shedeur Sanders, both of whom are now in the NFL, stating that their competitiveness and "chirping" brought out the best in him.

That competitiveness is rooted in a nature to "keep going no matter what" and ignore outside criticism. That criticism was prevalent in some pockets of the fanbase, as is typical with most college football fans. But for Drones, the focus is on tuning out all the noise, forcing himself to be the best player he can be without getting too negative inside his own head. Navigating that tenuous line between overconfidence and pessimism also applies towards his leadership, something that Drones says that he has his own way of applying. His leadership mirrors that steady demeanor, focusing on connecting with teammates and speaking with purpose rather than raising his voice for its own sake.

"I mean, you've just got to go out there, and even when you feel like you don't want to say anything, you've just got to go say it," Drones said. "Everybody knows I'm not that rah-rah screaming type of guy. I've got my own way of being a leader. You've just got to know who you're talking to, know if you've got a person next to you that you can yell at and get on somebody that they can take it. And then a person that can't really take, you've just got to go out there and talk and see what they've got going on. Just really getting to know my brothers and getting to know them and seeing how I've got to lead them to get them to my standard and the team's standard and get them coming along."

Virginia Tech football will kick off its season on Aug. 31 in the Aflac Kickoff, facing off against SEC school South Carolina at 3 p.m. ET in Atlanta, Ga.

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