Brent Pry embracing the challenge to reach expectations at Virginia Tech

When Brent Pry was hired at Virginia Tech to replace Justin Fuente, he knew that he had a project in front of him, but it would take time. Entering Year 3, it's safe to say that Pry has expedited the rebuild to the point where the Hokies are viewed as a dark horse around the country in the ACC.

Having that hype and living up to the expectations are two different things. Still, with a ton of retainment from last season's roster as well as key transfer portal additions, they can be a factor in the new-look conference with SMU, Stanford, and California joining.

As the 2024 season gets closer and closer with each passing day, Pry was in Charlotte on Tuesday as part of the ACC Football Media Week and he spoke on several topics and was asked a question about bringing Virginia Tech back to the standard it was during his previous stop in Blacksburg.

"It's one of the reasons I returned to Tech. I want those expectations. I understand those standards. People talk about how you handle the expectations. Well, we all know that has nothing to do with the team that we can be when we go to Nashville. At the same time we all came to Virginia Tech because of those expectations. This is a place where you should expect to compete for the playoffs and expect to compete for a championship. That's who Tech is."

- Brent Pry

Virginia Tech certainly is where you should expect to compete year in and year out, but now that the College Football Playoff is 12 teams from four, expectations are higher in Blacksburg. If there is one clear thing, it's that before Pry returned to Tech, he was watching where the program was heading and it wasn't going to a good place. Now that he's back, he wants nothing more than to bring it back to where it was before, competing for ACC championships and making a run for a CFP berth.

They may not get there this year, but they'll get there before you know it as Pry has quickly turned things around in Blacksburg and has them back in the conversation nationally, where they should be.