It was widely known throughout college football that one coach entering the season on the hot seat was Virginia Tech's Brent Pry. After going 16-21 through his first three years in Blacksburg, including a 6-7 2024 season that had high expectations going into it.
Pry hard one of the harder openers for a coach this year who is on the hot seat, facing 13th-ranked South Carolina in Atlanta. The Hokies put up a good fight against the talented Gamecocks before falling 24-11. It wasn't the loss as much as how it happened. Regardless, Pry's seat is extremely hot, some may say scorching hot, ahead of this weekend's home opener against Vanderbilt in what is all of a sudden a must-win game for the fourth-year coach.
Vegas odds have Brent Pry's odds have him the hot seat, a very hot seat
After Week 1, Pry's odds are 5/1 by Vegas oddsmakers to be fired, ahead of Brent Brennan of Arizona (7/1), and Deshaun Foster of UCLA and Sam Pittman of Arkansas, who are 8/1.
Pry isn't doing a terrible job; it's just the repeated mistakes by his team with the self-inflicted mistakes, mental mistakes, and, of course, his clock management. After their dominating opening drive, South Carolina left the door wide open for the Hokies to take control of the game, and any one of three issues mentioned above prevented that from happening. Pick one.
Do I think Pry gets fired if things don't go well this weekend? No, I mean things would really have to go badly for that to happen. Athletic director Whit Babcock, you would assume, is also on the hot seat, as most ADs don't get the opportunity to hire three coaches in this day and age.
Pry has a leash early this season because of new coordinators and a new offensive line coach. That is what will give him more time beyond this weekend, but if they lose a third straight to begin the year to Old Dominion in two weeks, well, then things are different. Pry can calm things down with a win over Vanderbilt and take some heat off of him. It might not be in Vegas, but it will with his bosses.