Virginia Tech football coaching job profile: Can the right hire capitalize on history, passion?

The Brent Pry era at Virginia Tech is over. Pry was fired on Sunday after a loss to Old Dominion dropped the Hokies to 0-3 this season.

The Hokies went 16-24 in less than four seasons under Pry, bookended by two losses to ODU. He reached two bowl games but finished with a winning record just once, a 7-6 campaign in 2023.

Pry’s tenure continued a downward trend for a once-proud program. Under Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech played for a national championship to cap the 1999 season and won at least 10 games 13 times from 1995 to 2011, including the final eight years of that stretch. Justin Fuente took over in 2016 and won 19 games in his first two years, but things declined from there, and the program’s 27-year bowl streak ended with a 5-6 record in 2020. It hasn’t gotten better since.

So how good is the Virginia Tech job? What names could get in the mix? Based on conversations with industry sources, here is a report card for the job and the potential candidates to watch.

Recent history/tradition: B+

That “Enter Sandman” stadium entrance still matters — it was in the trailer for EA Sports’ “College Football 26” — but today’s players have little memory of the Hokies being a top program. They’ve won 10 games just once since 2012. They haven’t reached the ACC Championship Game since 2016.

The fan support and the passion is there — a whole lot more than UCLA, whose coaching job opened on the same day. But Michael Vick’s college highlights are looking grainier every year, making this a harder sell than the past.

On-field outlook: C+

The Hokies are 40th  in 247Sports’ Team Talent Composite, factoring in high school recruiting rankings. That’s ninth in the ACC behind teams like Syracuse and Cal. Quarterback Kyron Drones and running back Terion Stewart will be out of eligibility after 2025. A new coach will have to find his own program building blocks.

Money matters: B-

“As much as I and we all love Virginia Tech and its humility, we cannot keep taking pride in doing more with less.”

That was what athletic director Whit Babcock said to the school’s Board of Visitors last month, in a detailed presentation of how Virginia Tech must spend more to keep up. The school’s $122 million athletics budget is below its ACC peers and must be closer to $200 million, he said.

Babcock knows football success drives a lot of that financial outlook, which likely explains why the plug was pulled on Pry so quickly this year. Virginia Tech cannot afford to wait. This year’s budget is supposed to be around $144 million, but only time will tell whether the money that is needed shows up. Pry’s $4.75 million salary was respectable, but in what will be a busy coaching carousel with lots of suitors, the Hokies will have to pay up.

“If we don’t radically leap forward now,” Babcock told the group, “we’re likely sealing our own fate for years and generations to come.”

University stability: B-

Although Babcock is respected in AD circles for much of what he does in the job, his football hires haven’t worked. Tech Sideline’s Andy Bitter reports the next coach will be hired by a committee with a chair yet to be determined, and Babcock will not lead the search. That tells you the ground he’s on.

Coach pool: B+

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer: This is a longshot, but the call will certainly be made. Of course the Hokies will gauge the interest of the son of Frank Beamer. But South Carolina has stepped up in a big way to give Shane Beamer what he needs, including keeping top players for this season. Beamer has also been open about making his own path in the industry, and a Virginia Tech move would put him back in his dad’s shadow.

Tulane coach Jon Sumrall: He’s expected to get interest from everywhere, but the Hokies would be wise to take their swing. Sumrall is 35-9 as a head coach with two Sun Belt championships and an American Conference title game appearance. The Green Wave are 3-0 this year with wins against Duke and Northwestern.

South Florida head coach Alex Golesh: The Bulls may be turning the corner in Golesh’s third season, with wins over Boise State and Florida. He inherited an 1-11 team and posted winning records in each of his first two years. Like Sumrall, Golesh will likely get all kinds of interest for open jobs.

James Madison head coach Bob Chesney: He went 9-4 in his first year at JMU after turning Holy Cross into a top-25 Football Championship Subdivision program before that. The 48-year-old knows the region, and he has won big at all four head coaching jobs he’s held at various levels of the sport.

Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield: He has kept the Tigers as a steady winner after taking over for Mike Norvell, including 21 wins across 2023 and ’24. He also has years of NFL experience.

Miami (Fla.) offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson: The Hurricanes led the nation in 2024 with 43.9 points per game and helped quarterback Cam Ward become the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, and this year’s team 3-0 as quarterback Carson Beck has returned to form. Dawson has drawn head coach interest in recent years and likely will once again this winter.

Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan: He’s a Pennsylvania native with a lot of ties in the region, including five years at James Madison in Virginia alongside Curt Cignetti. Shanahan helped lead Indiana to an 11-1 regular season and College Football Playoff appearance last year, earning a raise and new contract.

Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline: Long touted as the best recruiter in the country, Hartline has been choosy about head coaching jobs. He has put scores of wide receivers in the NFL and will do so again. If Virginia Tech wants someone who can maximize talent acquisition, perhaps this could be a fit.

Southern Miss head coach Charles Huff: The Maryland native knows the DMV area very well and won the Sun Belt as Marshall’s head coach last year. Disagreements with administration saw the sides split, with Huff moving to Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles are 2-1 and look much improved coming off a win against Appalachian State.

Western Kentucky head coach Tyson Helton: He was considered for the Purdue job multiple times and has won eight or nine games five times in six years. Despite constantly losing players and coaches to bigger teams (including now-FAU head coach Zack Kittley and now-Oklahoma OC Ben Arbuckle), he keeps filling holes, and a Hilltopper has been selected in the first 100 picks of the NFL Draft for four consecutive years.

Army head coach Jeff Monken: Another model of consistency, Monken turned Army from a doormat into a regularly good program. The Black Knights went 12-2 and won the American in their first season in the league last year. With new quarterbacks this fall, they rebounded from a loss to FCS Tarleton State with a win over Kansas State.

Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell: He has won big everywhere and been picky with jobs, passing on interest from Mississippi State two years ago. Chadwell posted consecutive 11-win seasons at Coastal Carolina and went 13-1 with a Fiesta Bowl appearance at Liberty in 2023. However, the Flames have started to slip a little, finishing 8-4 last year and off to a 1-2 start this season.

Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks: A 2024 Broyles Award finalist, Banks has been an FBS defensive coordinator since 2007, with previous stops at Illinois and Penn State. Last year’s Tennessee defense held 10 of 13 opponents under 20 points, and the Vols have finished top-three in the SEC in points per game allowed for two consecutive years.

Toledo head coach Jason Candle: He’s a consistent winner in the MAC, with 28 wins over the last three seasons, including a MAC championship in 2022 and 11 wins in 2023. The Rockets also blew out Mississippi State last year. Candle has passed on some Power 4 coordinator jobs to remain a head coach.

Former Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson: He stepped away last offseason but made sure to say it wasn’t a retirement. He’s a program builder and turned around places like Wake Forest and Bowling Green, but he also grew frustrated of being far behind in financial resources. If Virginia Tech is stepping up, perhaps the sides could be a fit.

Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein: The 35-year-old from Louisville has kept Oregon’s offense among the nation’s best with three different quarterbacks. He also has Texas connections from his time at the high school level and at UTSA.

Overall grade: B

This is a precarious time for Virginia Tech. With the ACC distributing more revenue for wins and TV ratings and with the potential for more conference realignment five years into the future, the Hokies have to get this hire right. The fan support is there. The natural resources are not, from location to conference to finances. Few places are more electric than Virginia Tech when everything is rolling. The next coach has to make it happen.

(Photo: Ryan Hunt / Getty Images)

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