After Virginia Tech's 45-26 loss to Old Dominion on Saturday night, it wasn't a matter of if, but when they were going to move on from fourth-year head coach Brent Pry. That happened on Sunday when the school fired him after four years.
When the search begins, there will be several coaches that the school will look to interview, and after swinging and missing with Justin Fuente and Pry since Frank Beamer retired, this is a hire that Virginia Tech needs to get right. Here are five candidates that they should consider to replace the former Penn State defensive coordinator.
Bob Chesney
James Madison hired former Holy Cross coach Bob Chesney two years ago, and he made the smooth transition to the FBS from the FCS leading the Dukes to a 9-4 season in 2024 after being hired in December of 2023. They finished in the Top 30 in offense and defense in the FBS last year in their first season.
He has had stops at Salve Regina and Assumption, but he has already been on some teams' list for a Power 4 job, and this should be a no-brainer for Virginia Tech to at least interview.
Jon Sumrall
You can bet that phone is going to be ringing a lot at Tulane to interview Jon Sumrall from several schools this year, and Virginia Tech should be the first to make that call. A fast-rising Group of 6 coach who is 35-9 combined between Troy and Tulane, Sumrall is someone who is going to be a Power 4 coach sooner rather than later.
He drew interest a couple of years ago when he signed a six-year deal at Tulane and was someone who was linked to Kentucky if Mike Stoops had gone to Texas A&M. Sumrall has a ton of energy and passion and would be a good fit in Blacksburg.
Charles Huff
If there is someone who has coached against Virginia Tech recently and had success, it's Charles Huff. Two years ago, when he was a Marshall, the Thundering Hurd beat the Hokies at home, and following that season, he was hired at Southern Mississippi. He had a lot of success in the Sun Belt and is a very good recruiter. Seems like he would be a fit in Blacksburg.
Shane Beamer
After beating Virginia Tech in the season opener two weeks ago in Atlanta, South Carolina coach Shane Beamer gave his full support to Pry at Virginia Tech. Now he climbs to the top of a list of possible replacements for Pry.
Think about the opportunity to come to Blacksburg and return the program to the glory it was under his father, Frank. It seems like it would be nearly impossible to pry him away from South Carolina, but if Virginia Tech is serious about turning things around on the gridiron, then money shouldn't be an issue to get him back at Virginia Tech. Again, this feels like a long shot, but hey, anything is possible.
Dan Mullen
Hired at UNLV over the winter after a stint in the broadcast booth for ESPN, former Florida and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen would listen to have a chance to return to a Power 4 school. This season, he has the Rebels at 3-0, and he came in and completely overhauled the roster with 42 Transfer Portal commitments. There will be an overhaul of the Hokies' roster, and being able to recruit that quickly through the portal and be competitive in the ACC is not out of the question as soon as next season.