When former Virginia Tech football coach Brent Pry hired Matt Moore as his new offensive line coach, you figured that some players from West Virginia might follow him to Blacksburg. It just happens when there are coaching changes in all sports. The Hokies' men's basketball team saw it happen when Mike Young hired Chester Frazier, and Amani Hansberry followed him to Virginia Tech from West Virginia.
Moore was tasked with rebuilding a Virginia Tech offensive line that had struggled over the last two years. He lost nearly everyone who suited up for the Hokies in 2024, which had him starting from scratch. He ended up having some former Mountaineers follow him from Morgantown, including Kyle Altuner.
Virginia Tech is on its second bye this week after having its first just three weeks ago. With three games remaining in the 2025 season, at Florida State, vs. Miami, and at Virginia over the final three weeks, it's going to be a big offseason for the Hokies program. A new coach will be hired, but if any prospective candidates are paying attention, they can learn a lot from Altuner, who explained his decision to transfer to Blacksburg, other than to follow Moore.
Kyle Altuner explains decision to transfer to Virginia Tech
Despite a lot of people thinking he followed Moore to Virginia Tech, Altuner explained another reason as to why he picked the Hokies in the Transfer Portal.
"When I visited here, that was my first time experiencing it,'' said Altuner. "Other than I think I came here, it's like the Notre Dame game was my sophomore year, maybe like 2021. The culture here is great. You go to a game and you love it. You want to come back.''
The culture around the school, program, and Blacksburg is great. Despite another underwhelming season, Virginia Tech fans continue to show up each week to support the Hokies and will do so win or lose. He did not make those comments to lure the next head coach to Virginia Tech, but if you're a coaching candidate, that is certainly something to listen to for a feel of what you might be getting.