Expectations For Virginia Tech Football Are Growing For The 2024 Season
With the new era of NIL in college football and college sports being at its highest point ever, the Virginia Tech Hokies have figured out a way to build a family type of culture within the program, allowing the team to build chemistry. With that continued chemistry has built up anticipation for the program this upcoming football season and a potential run at the ACC title game.
The main reason that the expectations have risen was based on the team finishing last season as the Military Bowl champions, giving Virginia Tech their first bowl win since 2016, and its first winning season since 2019 finishing 7-6. Another key component for the team this season is the amount of players that are returning compared to past years.
With the ACC adding three new teams this season, Stanford, SMU, and Cal, there will certainly be new eyes on the conference but with recent numbers from ESPN's Bill Connelly In his rankings, the Hokies will be returning 95% of their offense and 77% of their defense with Bill stating:
"It has been quite a while since the Hokies were a legitimate contender in the ACC race, but that might change in coach Brent Pry’s third season. ESPN colleague Bill Connelly ranks the Hokies No. 1 in his returning production percentages — No. 1 on offense (95%) and No. 12 on defense (77%) — and Pry and his staff have done a good job of using the transfer portal to plug holes. The Hokies averaged 43 points over their final four games of 2022, a stretch in which they went 3-1. Quarterback Kyron Drones passed for 22 touchdowns and three interceptions and ran for 818 yards with five scores. He’s one of 11 starters coming back on offense. Pry shored up the defensive line by bringing in four transfers: Duke’s Aeneas Peebles, Oklahoma’s Kelvin Gilliam Jr., Alabama’s Khurtiss Perry and Western Community College’s Kemari Copeland. Virginia Tech’s nonconference schedule is more than manageable (Vanderbilt, Marshall, Old Dominion and Rutgers) and it doesn’t play Florida State, Louisville or NC State during the regular season."
Based on the returning players and recruits coming in, Virginia Tech is deeper at many positions including defensive tackle and wide receiver. Out of all the teams in the Power Five Conferences, the Hokies have the most starters returning with a lot of excitement heading into the season and it starts with Kyron Drones. With ESPN stating:
"It probably means something that (a) their seven best offensive performances (per EPA) came in the last nine games of the season, when they began leaning more heavily on the legs of both Drones and running back Bhayshul Tuten (and, perhaps most importantly, when the linemen started blocking better for those legs), and (b) the Hokies now rank No. 1 in returning production for 2024. Drones (19th in Total QBR from Week 5 onward) and Tuten (6.2 yards per carry over the last six games) both return, as do most of last season's top receiving targets -- plus ODU transfer Ali Jennings and tight end Nick Gallo, who missed most or all of 2023 -- and nearly every lineman. This offense cooked down the stretch; let's see if it can pick up where it left off."
Kyron has emerged as a leader on and off the field even with coming in second being ranked the most interesting quarterback in the 2024 college football season and if things continue on the trajectory that many are predicting Kyron Drones could be a high draft pick for the 2025 season. This would mean Tech would lose Drones but would give the program good exposure for a replacement at the quarterback position.
2024 could be a special season for Virginia Tech.
KAHLIL MCCULLER
Kahlil McCuller joined the Sports Illustrated team in summer 2024 and is a Sports Media major at Virginia Tech. Covering College Baseball, College Basketball, and College Football for the Virginia Tech Hokies. Prior to this Kahlil worked pregame radio shows for Virginia Tech Basketball teams on 105.3 The Bear and started his own basketball podcast on Spotify called "Fleeky Hoops Podcast" and covered March Madness for the Hokies Women's Basketball team back in March 2024. My favorite sports teams are: Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Chargers, Virginia Tech Hokies and PSG for Soccer