Going into the 2025 season, the seat is very warm for Virginia Tech football coach Brent Pry. Some might even say it’s hot.
Last season the Hokies had a a ton of hype going into the season and fell well short of them. Needing a win over Virginia Thanksgiving Weekend just to reach bowl eligibility was not what was expected. Now, there has been a big roster turnover between players out of eligibility and an exodus through the transfer portal.
To compound matters, there has been a big turnover on staff with Pry firing three assistants, including defensive coordinator Chris Marve and offensive line coach Ron Crook. Then last week, offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen up and left for the offensive line job at Ohio State.
Now with some additions from the transfer portal, two new key assistant coaches and one more needed as OC, which is a huge hire, and another one that Pry needs to get right. Regardless of how it shakes it, how many games does Pry need to win in 2025 to be safe?
How many wins does Brent Pry need to be safe in Blacksburg?
Pry’s record in Blacksburg is not great, 16-21, but 2024 was supposed to be the year that the Hokies’ rebuild was sped up. That wasn’t the case. From Week 1 at Vanderbilt through the Duke’s Mayo Bowl loss month to Minnesota, it felt like one thing after another brought the team down on a week-to-week basis. Not to mention the one-score losses that were all winnable games.
After the loss to Minnesota, Pry likes the players returning and he has added some veteran players through the transfer portal who can come in and play right away. There is even a freshman or two who could come in and contribute right away in the fall.
The schedule is a lot tougher this season than last, both in the non-conference and conference. Virginia Tech opens with South Carolina in Atlanta and the Gamecocks appear to be the team in the SEC going into 2025 that has all the hype the Hokies had last season. Then Week 2, Vanderbilt comes to Blacksburg with quarterback Diego Pavia back and the Commodores looking to take the next step in their rebuild. That’s a tough six-day stretch to open the season.
As far as the ACC schedule goes, Miami has reloaded for another season, adding former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, Louisville is loading up again and the trip to Charlottesville in November might be the toughest in years. They can’t head there at 5-6 again looking for bowl-eligibility.
When the dust settles, for Brent Pry to be safe at Virginia Tech, sadly, a six-win season will do it. That seems to be the bar that AD Whit Babcock and the school are comfortable with. And, that is sad for Virginia Tech.