Virginia Tech Football: Three Biggest Questions For The Hokies Ahead of Fall Camp
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ACC Media Days got underway today, and with that, Fall Camp is going to be quickly approaching, and the season is right around the corner. For the Virginia Tech Hokies, there is some uncertainty as to what this season is going to entail. After being one of the most talked-about teams in the ACC a season ago, there is not a lot of buzz around this program heading into 2025. They lost a ton of talent to the transfer portal and to the NFL Draft, and have two new coordinators in place. They have a massive transfer class incoming and not a murderer's row of a schedule, though, so could a surprise season be in store for the Hokies in Brent Pry's fourth season?
With all of that said, what are the biggest questions for the Hokies ahead of the start of fall camp?
1. What is in store for Kyron Drones with a new offensive coordinator?
Heading into last season, there was a lot of talk about Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones building off of his strong finish to the 2023 season and potentially being a darkhorse choice for the Heisman Trophy.
One of the voices of college football, Josh Pate, had this to say on am episode of his show heading into the season:
"Virginia Tech has an opportunity to be a playoff contender late in the year, they have a chance to be an ACC title contender late in the year, they have a chance to have a dynamite run game. Now, I don't think Drones is going to have the passing numbers that some of these guys do, he is going to have to supplement it with his work with his legs, not that he is going to have triple option passing numbers, but last year, 17-3 touchdown to interception ratio, he ran for five, he needs to double that rushing touchdown number, his completion percentage needs to bump up from 58% and into the 60's and it absolutely could, it absolutely could. They are going to have a really complementary style to help him and it is going to take voters watching him. Don't be checkin box scores, which a lot of Heisman voters unfortunately do, but if that ground game is churning and as a voter, if we really care about playing in a manner that best equips your team to win football games and we understand that yards gained on the ground count just as much as yards gained through the air, if we understand that, then Kyron Drones should be in this thing as well."
It might not be fair to put an entire season on one player, but it is hard to see a path to a successful season without Drones staying healthy and reaching his full potential under new offensive coordinator Phillip Montgomery.
Even when he was healthy, Drones did not take the step forward that many around the country were expecting. He finished with 1,562 yards passing with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions, as well as 336 yards rushing and six touchdowns. It was not a terrible season for Drones, but was not the Heisman type of season that some were thinking he could have and he took a step back rushing. Drones did finish as the second-highest graded player on the Hokies offense per PFF (Pro Football Focus), finishing with a 79.6 grade in 533 snaps. He finished with a 73.2 passing grade and a 73.4 rushing grade.
In the nine games that he did play, Drones only had two games over 200 yards passing (vs Vanderbilt and Stanford), and there were some games where he really struggled with his accuracy. In the loss to Rutgers, Drones was 13-27 for 137 yards, and in the loss to Clemson, he was 9-20 for 115 yards. Injuries played a big part in Drones' season, but he was not very consistent even when he played.
This Virginia Tech offense is going to look a lot different around Drones in 2025. It is a new look backfield, wide receiver group, and offensive line this season and Drones is going to be working with a new offensive coordinator. Head coach Brent Pry brought in former Baylor and Auburn offensive coordinator Phillip Montgomery to call the plays and lead the offense. Montgomery spoke highly of Drones' ability this spring to be a building block for the offense this season:
"Yeah, I think he's done an outstanding job. As we've sat through meetings and been able to start talking ball and installing, I think he's picking it up well as long as well as you know a lot of the other guys offensively you know this thing won't be all about about him you know it's about us as a unit and what we can accomplish as a unit and it's 11 guys paying attention to details and executing on the field so obviously a lot of it starts and stops with him but I could say the same thing about the offensive line it all starts and stops with them as well."
Can Drones reach a new level with a new offensive coordinator?
2. Who will emerge as the go-to receiver for this team?
Virginia Tech is losing receivers such as Da'Quan Felton, Ali Jennings, Stephen Gosnell and Jaylin Lane and they are having to replace them with a mix of returning players, transfers, and freshmen. While they may not have a 1st round pick type of talent at receiver, can someone emerge as the top option in this group?
Ayden Greene is the leading returning wide receiver and he posted 19 catches for 268 yards and two touchdowns last season. According to PFF (Pro Football Focus), he finished with a 60.7 overall grade in 344 snaps. He is the guy that seems most likely to have a big role amongst the players returning and if he can take a step up, it would be a welcome development for the Hokies.
Keylen Adams had one catch for 14 yards, as well as a 68.3 grade from PFF in just 18 snaps. Takye Heath is a player with potential, but it is hard to know what his impact will be after only catching one pass in 37 snaps last season. Our former writer Connor Mardian wrote this about Heath and why he might be a breakout sophomore star for the Hokies:
"Heath hailed from the famed Highland Springs High School in Richmond, V.A, where he culminated a career that saw him over 900 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior before committing to Virginia Tech as a three-star recruit. So far as a Hokie, Heath has seen limited playing time with last season resulting in just appearances with one reception and one rush, but the young Heath was awarded with a spring games award, tallying the "Most Improved Player" on offense.
Now, there are the obvious names ahead of Heath in the general VT pecking order. Yesterday we overviewed some of those names in our position battle series. Those are names that include the likes of Cameron Seldon, Ayden Greene and Donavon Greene. All of which will be vying for that no.1 spot. But, with Heath's clearly improved Spring, he should be in a place where he could begin his rise to the top of the chart like [Ayden] Greene is doing now."
There are other young guys to look for as well. Chanz Wiggins played 14 snaps last season, while Josh Jones and L.J. Booker redshirted. Tucker Holloway is back after missing last season due to an injury and while he is a terrific player on special teams, will he provide anything to the receiver room this year?
Virginia Tech has one true freshman coming into the room and three transfer receivers that they landed from the portal.
True freshman Micah Matthews is going to have a path to playing time due to the uncertainty everywhere else in the group. ESPN ranked Matthews as the fifth-best player from Virginia in the class of 2026. He’s listed at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, and he recorded some great stats at wide receiver in his junior year. According to 247Sports’ National Recruiting Analyst Greg Biggins, Matthews totaled just under 1,500 receiving yards in his senior year.
The most experienced receiver on the roster now is Wake Forest transfer Donavon Greene.
Greene is a 6'2 210 LBS receiver who adds size and experience on the outside. In his career, Greene has hauled in 102 catches for 1,853 yards and 13 touchdowns. His most productive season as a Demon Deacon came in 2023 when he caught 37 passes for 642 yards and six touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, Greene finished with a 61.3 grade in 293 snaps this season, a 70.6 grade in 576 snaps in 2022, a 72.5 grade in 507 snaps in 2020 and a 74.0 grade in 214 snaps in 2019. He clearly has experience and should compete for playing time instantly with the Hokies offense.
Isiah Spencer transferred to Virginia Tech after Spencer spent the first two years of his time at Jackson State where the Tigers went 19-6 through Spencer's two years.
Combined, Spencer tallied 861 yards and five touchdowns, although last season is where Spencer shined. Last season, en route to a Tigers' Cricket Celebration Bowl victory, Spencer marked four touchdowns and 660 yards, all while raking in nearly 20 yards per reception (18.9).
Tennessee transfer Cam Seldon promises to be a Swiss Army knife type of player for the Hokies, able to play both running back and quarterback.
Seldon was ranked as the No. 9 running back in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports. Seldon totaled 48 carries for 224 yards and a touchdown, plus one reception in his two-year career. Seldon also fielded 6 kick returns as a Volunteer, totaling 113 yards with an average of 18.8 yards per return and a long of 35 yards.
Seldon's role could change heavily from Tennessee to Virginia Tech. He was widely perceived to be a wide receiver out of high school, with the possibility to play on the other side of the ball as a linebacker, but the Volunteers opted to place Seldon at the running back position.
This is perhaps the biggest unknown on Virginia Tech's offense. They don't have a clear-cut No. 1 go-to guy on the outside and even if their running game is as good as I think it could be, they have to find some guys they can trust on the outside. Seldon is the most exciting player in the room in my opinion, but Virginia Tech needs one of Ayden or Donavon Greene, Spencer, Heath, or one of the young guys to take a big step forward this season. Keep an eye on updates coming out of Fall Camp with this group.
3. How will the defense perform under new coordinator Sam Siefkes?
Virginia Tech made one of the most interesting hires of the coaching cycle when they named Arizona Cardinals assistant coach Sam Siefkes as the new leader of the defense. Siefkes's only collegiate experience came when he was at Wofford, but while he was in the NFL, there were a number of top defensive coaches who have helped shape his vision for what he hopes the Hokies defense can look like this season.
"Yeah, you know, we're gonna try to have some things that are similar to last year so they can kind of compound on some, some of the things they did well, what I felt like they did well, and obviously what Coach Pry felt like we did well. I spoke a little bit about this. When I first got to the NFL, I worked with Mike Zimmer, and I felt like he did a really good job of encompassing a lot of who I am today. And so I think a lot of that shared vision will kind of be implemented, at least at the start, with kind of who we are foundationally because I think it has streamlined into what they have been in the past and kind of who we could potentially be in the future. So I think the roots will be somewhere in there from my knowledge being with him in 2021. And then, you know, I've been a part of almost every type of scheme humanly possible, which is kind of to my benefit, but I think we'll grow and branch out from my experiences there and just kind of see where the tide takes us."
Virginia Tech is going to be relying on transfers to try and replace the level of NFL talent they have lost over the offseason. Will Siefkes be able to have them in the right position and playing a high level? The week one test against South Carolina is going to be a challenging start.
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Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell
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