Virginia Tech QB Kyron Drones Ranked No. 4 in ACC Preseason Player of the Year Poll

Drones tied for fourth with Miami's Carson Beck and tallied four Player of the Year votes.

Nov 9, 2024; Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones (1) throws a pass while being pressured by Clemson linebacker Sammy Brown (47). | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

Yesterday, the ACC unveiled its predicted order of finish for the upcoming football season, as determined by a panel of media members.

Today, the conference followed up by announcing the results of the media vote for Preseason Player of the Year. To little surprise, Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik headlined the list, receiving 146 of the 183 total votes cast.

2025 ACC Preseason Player of the Year:

🐅 @CadeKlubnikQB pic.twitter.com/9Iziq2k5WD

— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) July 31, 2025

Here is the full order with Preseason Player of the Year votes in parentheses:

No. 1 - Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson (146)

No. 2 - Haynes King, QB, Georgia Tech (9)

No. 3 - Kevin Jennings, QB, SMU (5)

T-No. 4 - Carson Beck, QB, Miami (4)

T-No. 4 - Kyron Drones, QB, Virginia Tech (4)

No. 6 - Isaac Brown, RB, Louisville (3)

T-No. 7 - Quintayvious Hutchins, DE, Boston College (2)

T-No. 7 - CJ Bailey, QB, NC State (2)

T-No. 7 - Eli Holstein, QB, Pitt (2)

T-No. 7 - Kyle Louis, LB, Pitt (2)

T-No. 7 - Desmond Reid, RB, Pitt (2)

T-No. 12 - Lewis Bond, WR, Boston College (1)

T-No. 12 - Jamal Haynes, RB, Georgia Tech (1)

Drones landing in the No. 4/5 range is notable; most media outlets placed him closer to the back end of the top 10. For example, On3 slotted him ninth among ACC quarterbacks, while The Athletic placed him at No. 10.

Seeing Drones tied for the No. 4 spot is a surprising result, particularly given that he finished ahead of quarterbacks like Bailey, Miller Moss and Darian Mensah; the latter two failed to receive a single vote. The result highlights the confidence some voters have in Drones’ potential upside. However, that optimism does not extend to the team as a whole. In the projected order of finish released yesterday, Virginia Tech landed 11th among ACC programs.