Three things to know about Virginia Tech

South Carolina’s neutral-site season opener against Virginia Tech is just over 50 days away and it’s time for GamecockCentral to start breaking down each opponent.

Sure, there will be plenty of time to discuss every angle of the opener, but here’s a quick early look at what the Hokies will bring to the table in Atlanta.

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It will be ‘new-look’ on offense and defense

After a disappointing 6-7 season in 2024, the Hokies hit the reset button on both their offensive and defensive schemes for Year 4 of the Brent Pry era.

Veteran offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery, who has coached at Houston, Baylor, Tulsa, and Auburn, will look to inject new life into a Virginia Tech offense that was solid but not spectacular last season.

With quarterback Kyron Drones, who we will dive into a bit more below, at the helm, Montgomery will likely lean on his Baylor/Art Briles-tree roots and introduce a more spread-based approach.

The 33-year-old Sam Siefkes takes over the VT defense after four seasons coaching in the NFL. The former Wofford coordinator based out of a three-man front with the Terriers but as a young coordinator who will be running a defense at the Power 4 level for the first time, Game 1 will likely be one of adjustments for a Gamecock offense that won’t know exactly what to expect from their opponent’s scheme.

The Hokies roster will also feature plenty of unknowns. Their offensive line, receiving corps, and defensive backfield were decimated by the NFL and transfer portal. And much like South Carolina, the Hokies hit the transfer portal hard for newcomers who will be expected to take on major roles this season.

Quarterback Kyron Drones has major potential

The former Baylor quarterback who has spent the last two seasons in Blacksburg dealt with injuries and inconsistencies last year when the 6-foot-2, 235-pounder completed just over 60 percent of his passes, throwing for 1,562 yards and 10 touchdowns with six interceptions.

Drones has big-time potential and at his best is one of the top dual-threat signal-callers in college football. He had huge games last season against Stanford, Boston College, Miami, and Old Dominion. But his lows were really low, such as when he completed less than 50 percent of his passes against Clemson and Rutgers.

New OC Montgomery has had success in the past with quarterbacks like Drones. Not that Drones is Robert Griffin III, Montgomery’s best protégé, but his scheme should accentuate the senior’s skillset. If he can unlock more of that untapped potential, Drones could give a new-look South Carolina defense trouble in Week 1.

Close losses haunted the Hokies

As disappointing as last season was for Virginia Tech, the Hokies were a few plays away from having a much different year.

While that may not mean a ton, considering the blow-up of the roster and coaching staff in the time since then, it’s worth pointing out some of those near misses.

None stand out more than a 38-34 midseason loss to then-undefeated Miami that saw the Hokies seemingly hit a game-winning Hail Mary as time expired, only to see the catch overturned after a lengthy review.

In addition to that heartbreaker, Virginia Tech lost by three to Rutgers and Duke, by seven to Vanderbilt and Syracuse, and by 10 to Clemson.

This program is a far cry from the one that Frank Beamer built, but last year’s team was not as far off from competing as the final record would indicate.

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