Virginia Tech picked up a big wide receiver commitment on Monday night from Old Dominion transfer Ali Jennings III. After posting two big seasons with the Monarchs, he has one season of eligibility remaining. The Hokies also got their transfer portal quarterback target, Kyron Drones of Baylor, who verbally committed to the Hokies within an hour of Jennings’ announcement.
Jennings attended Highland Springs High School in Richmond where he was coached by former Virginia Tech defensive back Loren Johnson. He signed with West Virginia out of high school, where he posted 19 catches for 192 yards and a touchdown in 2019 as a true freshman. He only appeared in five games in 2020, and then he transferred to ODU, where he put up big numbers in 2021 and 2022…
2021: 62 catches, 1,066 yards, 17.2 avg, 5 TDs (13 games)
2022: 54 catches, 959 yards, 17.8 avg, 9 TDs (nine games)
For his career, Jennings has 142 receptions for 2,265 yards, while averaging 16 yards per catch and scoring 16 touchdowns.
Jennings is very close to Virginia Tech wide receivers coach Fontel Mines, and the two have known each other since Jennings was very young. Mines recruited him to Old Dominion after he left West Virginia. Jennings should also be pretty familiar with the Virginia Tech offense as ODU head coach Ricky Rahne’s time at Penn State overlapped with both current VT OC Tyler Bowen and then-PSU OC Joe Moorhead.
Kyron Drones was a 4-star prospect and the No. 130 player in the country according to 247Sports. After redshirting for Baylor in 2021, he went 14-of-23 (60.9%) for 219 yards with one touchdown and one interception in 2022. He also had eight carries for 49 yards (6.1 ypc) and two touchdowns.
At 6-2, 223, Drones has good size and he brings dual threat ability to Virginia Tech. A Pearland, Texas native, he played for Shadow Creek High School outside of Houston. In his two seasons as starting quarterback he threw for nearly 5,000 yards with 67 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He rushed for 825 yards as a junior and a further 472 yards as a senior, and averaged over six yards per carry in both seasons. Drones only appeared in nine games as a senior due to injury, but he led his team to the Texas 5A Division I State Championship and was named Offensive MVP of the state title game as a junior.
Drones lacks experience, but he has three years of eligibility remaining, and should compete with Grant Wells for the starting position when spring practice opens.
With the commitment of Jennings, Tech now has 13 scholarship wide receivers. The addition of Drones puts the Hokies at six scholarship quarterbacks. The 2023 roster management page is updated. Brent Pry and his staff are currently at 88 scholarship players for next season, 46 on the offensive side of the ball.
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2 Steps Forward after a right Pathetic Season of lots of Angst and Chokin Leads implausibly. May these Guys make the Coaches smarter-I sure hope So..
Finally some positive moves from the Portal!
Sure hope Drones can be coached up to come off his primary and scan the field for 2nd & 3rd options.We better fix the O-Line problems or no QB is going to be successful at Tech!!
I think the bigger question is can we coach up?
Not one question is bigger than the other. If your offense is going to be successful you need to have solid OL play. Not just for passing the ball but for running the ball. It’s amazing how many fans don’t get that WADR.
Nice pickups! Now Pry needs to convince 4-5-star HS kids to make VT their first stop!
uh .. that’s never been our brand and never will be. We take 3-stars and coach ’em up with the occasional 4 and 5 thrown in. #reality
Agreed it’s never been our brand…..but now its time to change the reality.
There’s no reason we we can’t be the “first choice” of some of these players………I’m sick of accepting mediocrity.
You can achieve everything you want at VT just as well as any other school…we shouldn’t take a back seat to anyone!
Respectfully disagree. Our brand has been to recruit 3 (and occasional 4) star HS QB’s; sign numerous transfer QB’s; fail to develop the HS kids (and the xfers, for that matter); then the HS kids transfer out after 2-3 years of riding the pine.
Jennings also played at Hermitage before transferring to HS
So we will be losing a QB or two off the roster I guess.
And not being negative, just realistic that with upgrade in talent not enough PT for how many on roster? Five or six?
No proof yet it’s an upgrade. Time will tell.
I doubt Wittke signs. I’m guessing Bullock either moves to DE or HB or leaves. Farrell? We’ll see. He’s a developmental guys anywhere he goes. Ideally he stays and competes with Drones for 2024. It’s Wells-Drones in 2024 probably
I’d wells is the answer next year we’re screwed. Same goes for WR. Picking up ODU transfers is laughable.
This could be a memorable turning point
Absolutely HUGE commitments!!! Awesome!
We needed those commitments, and now a big running back.
is that Fu’s little bro in the photo?
Lol… I thought the same when I saw him.
That’s headturning.
Seemingly all of the sudden, things fall in a positive way.
About time, right.