Before the 2024 college football season, Virginia Tech was getting a tone of hype as a possible dark horse for the new 12-team College Football Playoff with all the retainment that the Hokies got and a strong finish to the 2023 season.
All preseason, head coach Brent Pry said all the right things and appeared to have the rebuild ahead of schedule in his third season in Blacksburg. However, a stunning overtime loss at Vanderbilt to begin the season set the tone for what turned out to be a disappointing 6-6 campaign that needed a win last Saturday night at home against Virginia to just become bowl-eligible.
The struggles this season, the coaching malpractice at times throughout the season, whether it was Pry, offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen, or defensive coordinator Chris Marve, it feels like coaching had a part in the disappointing season. All that happened led to speculation as to whether or not there would be coaching changes coming for the Hokies, but it appears that it will not be the case.
Brent Pry hopes there will be no changes to his staff for 2025
Pry met with the media following early-signing day on Wednesday and there was one question as to whether or not there would be changes to his staff for next season. The former Penn State defensive coordinator sounded like someone who has not planned on making any changes.
"I'm hopeful. We've got great people in this building,’’ Pry said. “There are certainly some things that we have to do better. And it starts with me."
There are things we have to do better could be considered the understatement of the year. There were too many instances where adjustments were not made and clock management was a major problem. Factor in game plans on the offensive side of the ball that made no sense (remember Clemson and running the ball four times) and questionable play-calling, it wouldn't have been surprising to see a move there. Defensively, there were times when Marve didn't make adjustments or adjusted way too late in games.
Other areas of the staff could have had some changes made, but it appears that Pry is planning on running it back for 2025, and by doing that, you could be looking at the same results with a no-look roster. You would think after this season, there would be some changes, but apparently not. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when the transfer portal opens next week.