Things did not start well for the Virginia Tech football team in 2023. After starting the season 1-3, they bounced back big time in ACC play going 5-3 to become bowl-eligible and a date with Tulane University in the Military Bowl on Wednesday.
In just his second season in Blacksburg, Pry has made some big strides in some areas this season. There were a lot of questions surrounding the Hokies entering the season in September and more questions were raised during the season. Did everything Pry and his staff tried work? No, but they pushed more positive buttons than negative buttons, which is why they are in Annapolis, Maryland getting ready for the Green Wave.
What a lift Virginia Tech would get from beating an 11-2 Tulane team in the bowl game as the attention will shift to 2024 full-time after the game. There are a lot of things to like going into next season and it's not out of the question that the Hokies are primed to take a big step in their rebuild under the former Penn State defensive coordinator.
Before the Hokies play the Green Wave in the Military Bowl, here are four narratives that Pry destroyed over the last four months in Blacksburg.
Brent Pry is the worst coach in the ACC
Before the season started, Will Backus of CBS Sports ranked all 14 ACC coaches and Pry was picked last in his list. Here is what he wrote in early July,
"It took just one season for Pry's outlook at Virginia Tech to turn bleak. His initial hire did not generate a ton of buzz, and instead of quieting any doubters, he created more by winning just one ACC game in 2022 and finishing the year with a 3-8 record overall. Let's not mince words here: The Hokies were awful in 2022. Few things stood out about the on-field product, and Virginia Tech only kept it close a few times during a seven-game losing streak that stretched from September to November."
Since that article was written, Pry's team started 1-3 and he rebounded them after the non-conference, navigated his way through key injuries, and turned things around to get his team bowl-eligible, something that looked bleak in late September. He rolled over five coaches ranked ahead of him, Dave Clawson (No.2) of Wake Forest, Pat Narduzzi (No. 6) of Pittsburgh, Dino Babers (No. 10) of Syracuse who has since been fired, Jeff Hafley (No. 11) of Boston College and Tony Elliott (No. 13) of Virginia. His team hung 38, 30, 38, 48, and 55 points on those coaches in that order. He's clearly not the worst coach in the ACC.
Virginia Tech won't make a bowl game in Year 2
Coming off of their worst season in 30 years in Blacksburg, not many publications had the Hokies becoming bowl-eligible by late November. That narrative gained more steam after losing three out of their first four non-conference games to Purdue, Rutgers and Marshall. There were many factors for those setbacks, but at least splitting those games was expected. Things changed when ACC play began and now it's late December and they are getting ready for a game against an 11-2 Tulane team.
Virginia Tech did what good teams do when league play started, they took advantage of their conference schedule that did not include North Carolina, Duke, or Clemson. Instead, they rolled over Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, Syracuse, Boston College, and Virginia. Their three ACC losses were to the top three teams, Florida State, Louisville, and North Carolina State. Taking advantage of the schedule they had and winning five to become bowl-eligible was big in taking the next step for the program looking ahead to the future and gaining some steam in the rebuild.
There's no excitement surrounding the program
It was a long first year for Pry and his staff, but things have changed quickly that last calendar year. One thing that it appears that Pry has done is added excitement around the program. If there were any questions as to whether or not there was, it was quickly silenced over the last month. The easiest way to tell is the announcements that have come out of Blacksburg from players who could have left whether it be in the transfer portal or the NFL, they have decided to run it back in 2024.
First Antwaun Powell-Ryland announced he was coming back, then fellow defensive lineman Josh Fuga said he was coming back before the Hokies secondary got a huge lift with Dorian Strong and Mansoor Delane announcing they are returning. On the offensive side, quarterback Kyron Drones, running back Bhayshul Tuten, and wide receivers, Ali Jennings, Jaylin Lane, Stephen Gosnell, and Da'Quan Felton announce they are coming back. Add four transfers, Aeneas Peebles, Montavious Cunningham, Sam Brumfield, and Kemari Copeland, and you have the makings of a potentially strong 2024 campaign. Clearly, the culture is strong within the football walls.
Virginia Tech can't recruit in Virginia
If there was one thing that needed to fixed from the Justin Fuente era, it's getting the talented recruits in Virginia to remain in-state. Relationships between the football program and local coaches were burned, the top recruits were leaving the state in droves, and simply put, not many wanted to even consider coming to Blacksburg post-Frank Beamer. If there is one thing that Pry and his staff focused on big time, it's the recruiting and mending fences in Virginia. It appears that happening and happening rather quickly.
No more proof is needed than with what has happened in recruiting and the commitments they got on Early Signing Day on Dec. 20. Virginia Tech signed four Top 15 in-state recruits and one just outside the Top 15. Four-star defensive lineman Gerard Johnson, ranked sixth in Virginia signed, as did three-star defensive back Joshua Clarke, the No. 14 recruit in the Commonwealth, three-star wide receiver Chanz Wiggins, ranked No. 10, and four-star wide receiver Keylen Adams who was ranked fifth according to 247 Sports. Three-star defensive back Noah Jenkins was ranked 19th in Virginia.
Pry and his staff had made it known on social media that they are making an effort to get out and see high school kids in the state and visiting coaches. On Sept. 1, the night before the season-opener against Old Dominion, Pry took a helicopter to see a recruit play. This past week, the Virginia Tech coaching staff hosted local coaches in the Maryland area to come watch bowl practice and form even tighter connections. Recruiting in Virginia appears on the way up and going up quickly under Pry.