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Virginia Tech football: Worst head coach hires in program history

By Josh Yourish

Oct 16, 2021; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Justin Fuente waits in the tunnel to take his team onto the field before the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2021; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Justin Fuente waits in the tunnel to take his team onto the field before the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
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It’s tough to replace a legendary coach like Frank Beamer and the Virginia Tech football program is on its second attempt. Brent Pry led the Hokies to 6-6 in his second season in Blackburg with a 55-17 pounding of UVA. 

It’s important to beat your rivals, so that win might quell any anxious feelings around the program and cool the temperature on Pry’s seat. Still, Virginia Tech isn’t what it once was and it’s getting further and further from its last conference title back in 2010.

When one coach leads a program for 29 years, it’s also hard to build out a list of the worst hires in program history. Beamer ball brought stability for the Hokies, something they’re desperate for in Blacksburg right now.

There were down years before and after Beamer and the coaches responsible can be found on this list. These are the worst coaching hires in Virginia Tech football history.

Sep 10, 2022; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Brent Pry leads his team onto the field along with quarterback Grant Wells (6) before the game against the Boston College Eagles at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2022; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Brent Pry leads his team onto the field along with quarterback Grant Wells (6) before the game against the Boston College Eagles at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

Yes, you’re right, it is too early to include Pry on this list. He took some great strides this season, especially once Kyron Drones took over at quarterback. A 6-6 season still isn’t up to the Virginia Tech standard, but it’s a huge improvement from his first year.

Pry took over for Justin Fuente in 2022 and the Hokies had their worst season since Frank Beamer’s second year back in 1988. When you sink a program back to a low it hasn’t seen since the eighties, then you’ve earned a provisional spot on the worst coaching hires list.

It’s a long rebuild and Pry seems to be on the same page as the administration in Blacksburg. With his connections to Beamer, he’ll get his chance to see this rebuild through. That connection, or  the lack thereof, was one of the things that doomed his predecessor.

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