When Tyler Bowen decided to leave Virginia Tech for Ohio State to become the offensive line coach under Ryan Day, it certainly opened up some eyebrows. Why would he leave a coordinator position for a positional job? Let's not overlook the fact that Hokies fans, well most of them anyway, were not sad to see Bowen leave after a frustrating stint in Blacksburg.
Last week it was rumored according to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic that head coach Brent Pry was targeting Buffalo Bills defensive quality coach Christian Taylor. After that report, things went quiet before Pete Thamel of ESPN reported Monday morning that Virginia Tech was targeting former Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery as their next OC, something the school confirmed a short time later.
Now the the hiring is official, here are three thoughts on Montgomery joining the staff.
Montgomery brings head coaching experience
This may not mean much to a lot of people, but Montgomery's head coaching stint at Tulsa is a valuable part of the hiring. That can't be overlooked with the trouble that Pry has had in his first three years in Blacksburg which has seen him go 16-21 overall. If anything, he can be another person that Pry can lean on anytime.
Pry is entering a huge Year 4 at Virginia Tech and he has surrounded himself with some experienced head and assistant coaches. If things don't go well, his seat will be hot. Surrounding himself with experience with Montgomery, Matt Moore, and Bud Foster.
Montgomery has developed some good quarterbacks for the next level
Montgomery has coached some good college quarterbacks and developed them for the next level, including Robert Griffin at Baylor. He has a QB at Virginia Tech in Drones who has a strong arm and can beat teams with his legs. There will be no shortage of plays that Montgomery could draw up for Drones and Pop Watson.
Developing wide receivers and a running game is also going to be big, but this is the type of hire that can Drones take the step to the next level in 2025. Is he going to turn him into another Robert Griffin? Unlikely, but this is likely the best possible hire for Drones for next season.
This has a chance to be a home run hire
There is only one way to go from Bowen to here and that's up, right? Montgomery comes with a lot more experience than Bowen did coming into the position for Pry and he already knows Drones as he offered him a scholarship out of high school when he was at Tulsa before Drones ended up at Baylor.
This is a good hire for a number of reasons between Montgomery's experience as a head coach and offensive coordinator, which also includes stints as a Power 5 offensive coordinator. All of that is huge for a coach going into this spot in what is an important year for the staff in Blacksburg, headlined by Pry.