Kyron's Kryptonite

Kyron Drones came into the 2024 season with considerable hype.

And it was well deserved. Drones, though not the most flashy of passers, put up a 17/3 TD-to-INT ratio as a redshirt sophomore. He was undoubtedly one of the best running quarterbacks in the nation, sparking an offense that averaged 35 points over their final seven games, albeit against weak competition.

He even worked out with Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward in the offseason, throwing passes in the sand, jumping off yachts, his chiseled torso glistening in the Miami sun. (Heisman hopeful? More like future GQ model.)

Shenanigans aside, this offseason was a very important one for Drones' development. Now that we are three games into the 2024 campaign, we have a better feel for what he is, and isn't, as a passer. That's because defenses, with a full year of film available, have started to adjust to the hard-hitting Texan.

What is Drones' emerging Kryptonite? Right now, the answer is simple: zone defense.

Getting in the Zone

You can learn a lot about the skillset of a quarterback by observing how defenses play them.

With help from the analytics guru Bud Davis on X/Twitter, I was able to snag some really informative advanced data on Virginia Tech's play-calling. Take a gander.

pic.twitter.com/1RHP3DJg5D— Bud Davis (@JBudDavis) September 11, 2024

The biggest thing that jumps out is how often Tech is facing zone defense. Drones has thrown against zone coverage 81% of the time, which is 29% more than the national average. It's also a staggering 40% increase from the amount of zone Tech faced for the majority of last season.

This makes sense based on what Drones' weaknesses are. Teams want to get him off his primary read and make him scan the field. Based on the eye test, I see a lot of teams disguising their coverages; sometimes a safety will cheat to one side pre-snap, then move to the other side to mess with Drones' eyes.

(In theory, zone also makes it easier to stop a running QB because defenders are looking at him and not locked on to a receiver.)

Let's take an example from the Marshall game.