February was a month of surprising change for Virginia Tech football coach Brent Pry. More subtractions and additions to his staff were not triggered by him as some eye-opening changes were made.
As the calendar turns to March, spring practices are set to begin with the Spring Game being held on April 13 at Lane Stadium. With that said, let’s look at three things we learned in the last 28 days about the Hokies gridiron program.
Tyler Bowen stunningly leaves for Ohio State
When offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen up and left Blacksburg for Ohio State to become the Buckeyes offensive line coach, it certainly raised a few eyebrows. Why would he leave a coordinator position at a Power 4 school for a positional job at another? Money was likely a driving force, but it’s safe to say that not a lot of Hokies’ fans were sad to see him leave.
It is also not a great look for Pry and the program. It has been six months of frustration for Virginia Tech and their fans with an underperforming 2024 season that saw them go 6-6 and lose both coordinators and offensive line coach. Sometimes change is what is needed and here’s hoping that what happens for the better in 2025.
Spring Game cancellations are concerning
Some Power 4 programs have already announced that they are canceling their Spring Games or modifying them. North Carolina State is closing all of their spring practices to the public, while Texas announced that they were not having a Spring Game. Florida State and Missouri are not having a Spring Game because of stadium renovations, while Nebraska and Ohio State will have fan events instead. Call me crazy, but Spring Games have become popular and let’s hope it doesn’t get bagged down the line in Blacksburg.
New coordinators getting paid
Pry’s new two new coordinators, Philip Montgomery on offense and Sam Siefkes on defense, are getting paid by Virginia Tech. Montgomery set to become highest paid Virginia Tech coordinator with his deal, according to Damien Sordelett of the Roanoke Times, reported that Montgomery has signed a two-year deal worth $2.7 million in base salary and supplemental compensation. He joins new defensive Siefkes making seven figures as the former Arizona Cardinals linebackers coach is set to make $2.6 million.
That is hopefully the first step in the program and school opening up their pockets to pay coaches to be competitive with the rest of college football. It’s not a lot, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction for Virginia Tech.