It took just three weeks for Virginia Tech to fire football coach Brent Pry after a dismal 45-26 loss to Old Dominion at home on Sept. 13. Moving on from him was needed, and they are 2-2 under interim coach Philip Montgomery since the move was made.
That was the second domino to fall in the coaching ranks as UCLA also moved on from DeShaun Foster. Since that weekend, Oklahoma State has fired Mike Gundy and Arkansas has fired Sam Pittman. Those are three of the jobs that Virginia Tech is up against in hiring a new coach. Stanford is also open after Frank Reich was named interim coach for the 2025 season.
On Sunday, Penn State fired head coach James Franklin amid his massive buyout, and that instantly makes it the most coveted job in the country. It also puts a dent into candidates that Virginia Tech's committee will go after.
Sources: Penn State has fired James Franklin.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 12, 2025
Penn State firing James Franklin is bad news for Virginia Tech
After three consecutive losses to Oregon, UCLA, and Northwestern, the latter two as 20-plus point favorites, Penn State did what some thought they wouldn't do because of his buyout, they fired Franklin. That moves the job in Happy Valley right to the top of the openings for coaches this cycle.
This likely won't be the last job to open, either. Florida is one job to keep an eye on over the next few weeks with Billy Napier. Let's not forget the drama at North Carolina with Bill Belichick. As far as Virginia Tech goes, this is going to make it harder for the school to land the next coach it wants to. The top names, if there is any interest in them, are going to be looking to land a higher spot than Blacksburg.
This means that if Virginia Tech wants to land the coach they are targeting is going to cost more than they would want to pay. However, they are in a position where they might just have to pay more than they would like for their next head coach. It has been stated several times, and it can't be stated enough, that this is a hire that they must get right.
Now, you also have to factor in other job openings up at other schools if a head coach bolts for Penn State, Arkansas, or any other opening. The committee's job just got significantly more difficult on Sunday afternoon.