Virginia Tech Lands Two Players On Preseason All-ACC 1st Team; Drones 4th In Preseason Player of the Year Voting

Strong and Peebles will be two of the best defensive players in the conference

Dec 27, 2023; Annapolis, MD, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones (1) throws to tight end Harrison Saint Germain (87) for a second quarter touchdown against the Tulane Green Wave at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports | Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday, the ACC preseason poll was released and Virginia Tech was picked to finish 6th in the conference this season. Today, the preseason ACC 1st team and Preseason Player of the Year voting was released and the Hokies landed two players on the 1st team, while quarterback Kyron Drones finished 4th in Player of the Year voting. Cornerback Dorian Strong and defensive lineman Aeneas Peebles were named to the 1st team All ACC defense. Miami quarterback Cam Ward was named the ACC's Preseason Player of the Year.

Drones played well last season, especially in the second part of the year and he has the Hokies primed to be contenders in the ACC this season. Could he end up being the best player in the conference this season? 247Sports analyst Carl Reed Jr had this to say on that topic:

"I think a kid that not enough people are talking about is Virginia Tec quarterback Kyron Drones. Kyron Drones is a guy that first got put on my radar by a couple of NFL scouts who really like his game. This kid is a bigger, thicker kid, he has a similar body type that Jalen Hurts had at Alabama. Virginia Tech last year, 17 touchdowns, 3 INT's, 818 rushing yards for five more touchdowns. He is an incredible dual-threat quarterback. Virginia Tech has five or six guys that are trending towards the NFL draft. I think that not only Kyron Drones has a chance to really push Cam Ward, he is also a part of the quarterback training group that is always with him, Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, he does not get talked about enough, he is a pro and not only can Kyron Drones push Cam Ward to be ACC Player of the Year, Virginia Tech is going to be my sleeper team in the ACC because of the amount of NFL talent that I continue to hear scouts talk about. They have great quarterback play in Kyron Drones, they have a couple of defensive linemen and secondary guys."

247Sports analyst Grant Hughes has Strong as one of the top three candidates to win ACC defensive player of the year this season:

"Strong put his NFL aspirations aside and announced a return to Virginia Tech this offseason. Last season, Strong rated among the best coverage cornerbacks in college football, allowing just nine receptions on 33 targets for 83 yards and a touchdown. He also flashed ball-hawking abilities, picking off three balls and breaking up seven others. His 2023 season was a bounce-back after injuries limited his 2022 campaign to four games. He's poised to have an even bigger season in 2024 with a full offseason of work under his belt."

Hughes also listed Louisville defensive end Ashton Gillotte and Miami defensive lineman Reuben Bain as other candidates to win defensive player of the year.

Our own RJ Schafer wrote this about Peebles:

"At defensive tackle, he led the Duke Blue Devils in tackles for loss and sacks. Aeneas Peebles' PFF pass-rushing grade in 2023 was second at his position, only trailing Byron Murphy II, who was a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, good company. If he has a big year this year, Peebles could definitely make a case to be a first-round pick in the draft and will make a large immediate impact for the Hokies."