By Alec Nederveld
As Brent Pry and Virginia Tech fell to 5-4 on Saturday, to me, it became obvious that Pry is holding this team back. The Hokies, without QB Kyron Drones and RB Bhayshul Tuten, went up 21-3 over Syracuse. The lead did not last, as the Orange would score 21 straight en route to a 38-31 overtime victory. It highlighted a bigger problem with Pry’s tenure, who’s now 1-11 (0-7 since 2023) in one-possession games.
Starting with the injuries to the Hokies two best offensive players, Virginia Tech had all the excuses they could want in their loss. Additionally, the officials mismanaged the end of the first half and Virginia Tech likely could have gotten an extra three points before half. Finally, Syracuse, who’s now 6-2 is a solid team and they’ve dominated the series in the JMA Wireless Dome, with the all-time record now sitting at 8-2.
Despite all that, Virginia Tech had a chance to win at the end of regulation. The game was tied 31-31 and the Hokies had three timeouts, 29 seconds, and the ball at their own 25. With John Love, a kicker who’s 10-11 with a 57-yard long in 2024, getting into range for a game-winning field goal seems doable, especially considering Stanford did the same against Syracuse.
Instead, Pry ran out the clock into overtime. Syracuse scored in two plays while Virginia Tech fumbled on their fourth.
This was not what the Hokie faithful or myself had in mind, after winning six of the last nine games a season ago, I thought Virginia Tech was molding a program similar to how Frank Beamer did it. I still agree with that statement to an extent, but Beamer won close games and won big games. Pry hasn’t done either.
As much as Pry has elevated the program, I wonder if he’s already reached his ceiling. So, where does Virginia Tech go from here? Well, they have two options to me. Fire, or keep Brent Pry. Both choices have their pros and cons.
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Option 1: Live with Brent Pry as the Virginia Tech football coach
I think Brent Pry is going to be one of those coaches who will consistently make a bowl game and be around that 6-6 to 8-4 range. And there’s nothing wrong with consistently winning over half of your games. Many programs would love to have that.
But Virginia Tech isn’t like many programs. In the 2000s, the Hokies were a force, winning 10+ games in eight seasons and three conference championships. The program made a bowl game in every season between 1993 and 2019, being ranked at least one week each year between 1993 and 2021, with the exception of 2015.
Why would you settle for average when you have been much more 15 years ago?
Well, not all programs and circumstances are created equal. Among the nine ACC schools with a publically available athletic budget, Virginia Tech’s is the smallest at just under $117 million. That’s a problem for a buyout of Pry, who’s in the third year of a six-year $27.5 million dollar deal. A buyout would require 70% of Pry’s remaining base salary plus incentives, or about $11 million.
Another solution could be changing the coordinators around. Offensive Coordinator Tyler Bowen and his defensive counterpart Chris Marve have each been with the program for the past three years. Both can have an argument made for their firing. I do like what Bowen has done this season, I certainly would keep him around, but I wonder more about Marve.
Pry is a defensive coach as he came from Penn State where he was incredibly successful working as James Franklin’s defensive coordinator. He knows how to run a successful defense. Marve, who gave up 35 points in the second half and overtime to Syracuse may be what’s holding the Hokies back.
When you consider the athletic department would have to pay for a new coach, likely with a higher salary, It’s hard to justify firing Pry when you consider he still has a winning record in 2024, strong fan turnout, and has steered the ship.
Option 2: Fire Brent Pry
It may be tough to fire Pry and use up so much of the athletics budget/have to fundraise for more money. But sometimes, the expensive decision is the right decision. Let’s take Texas A&M as an example. They fired Jimbo Fisher’s contract and have to pay him a whopping $76 million as Mike Elko, his replacement wins games and maybe even takes shots at him.
But if Texas A&M can spend 39% of their $194 million dollar athletic budget to fire a coach, can Virginia Tech afford 10%? Even if they can fiscally, I don’t think Athletic Director Whit Babcock would like to do that. He gave Justin Fuente an extension after going 10-4 and winning the ACC Coastal in his first year, heights he slipped away from as the years went on and Beamer’s players left.
If Pry is fired, that means Babcock has messed up the football coaching contracts twice and he’ll likely be fired himself from the school he’s worked at since 2014.
Another reason to fire Pry this season is based on Virginia Tech’s roster construction. According to the depth chart before the Hokies’ game against Clemson on Saturday, 15 starters are either Seniors, RS Seniors, or graduate students.
If you think things are bad now, what will happen without Bhayshul Tuten, Antwuan Powell-Ryland, and all three starting receivers? Virginia Tech will only be in a spot where they play in more close games and as we’ve seen, Pry can’t win those.
On the other hand, what if Pry gets replaced by somebody worse than him? An example of this is Auburn, who fired Gus Malzahn for the out-of-place Bryan Harsin who lasted less than two years. While Hugh Freeze is trying to rebuild the program and doing some things well, he’s still 3-6 in year two.
If nothing else, Virginia Tech still has some form of respect in the national landscape and will if they are a consistent bowl team. Auburn meanwhile has become the SEC’s laughingstock.
I think the Virginia Tech program can/should be on the same level as Louisville. At best, an ACC contender and a team that can upset anybody in the conference. Neither school has much of a history until the 2000s and both are relatively far away from recruiting hotbeds. Currently, the Hokies at the level of Boston College. Both programs are close to .500 in 2024, went 7-6 in 2023, and should be consistent bowl teams, as Bill O’Brien looks to have already improved the program.
To end the season, Virginia Tech will host 6-2 Clemson, get a bye, travel to 6-3 Duke, before finishing the season against 4-4 Virginia. The most likely record to me is 7-5, beating Duke and Virginia, although 6-6 is more likely than 8-4.
Especially if Pry loses another close game or two, what does the Virginia Tech administration think about his performance? More importantly, will they do anything about it?
