Four things to know about the Virginia Tech football coaching search

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BLACKSBURG -- The college football coaching carousel was kicked into gear early Sunday afternoon when Virginia Tech announced Brent Pry was fired three games into his fourth season.

The dismissal marked the end of Pry's tenure, which was bookended by losses to Old Dominion and a 16-24 overall record. The Hokies only had one winning season under Pry's guidance (2023 with a 7-6 mark) and underperformed in two of his three full seasons and through three games into his fourth season.

Brent Pry fired as Virginia Tech football coach

Tech fell to 0-3 after a 45-26 loss to ODU. That setback followed a 44-20 loss to Vanderbilt, in which the Commodores outscored the Hokies 34-0 in the second half.

With nine games remaining in the regular season, the Hokies have over two months to find the right replacement for Pry. Two upcoming dates are critical to determining the coaching pool and the resources available to the football program.

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The next Board of Visitors meeting is scheduled for Nov. 17-18, but another date looms later this month.

On Aug. 20, Board of Visitors Rector John Rocovich directed board members J. Pearson and Ryan McCarthy to report back by the end of September "with a firm proposal" to provide recommendations and direction on next steps for athletics funding.

University President Tim Sands reaffirmed in a press release on Sunday that the plan will be presented to the board later this month. Pearson and McCarty are slated to work with university leadership and athletic director Whit Babcock to develop a financial, organizational and leadership plan that will "rapidly position" the football program among the best in the ACC.

Babcock delivered an hour-long presentation to the Board of Visitors on Aug. 18 on the athletic department's need to be better resourced to compete not only in football but in men's and women's basketball and in every NCAA sport sponsored by the university.

The university was asked to make $52 million in investments to enhance its football programs and other sports. Football-related expenses accounted for $35 million of the ask to make football spending, staff and infrastructure in the top tier of the ACC.

And Babcock stated he wanted the yearly budget to be closer to $200 million than the projected budget of $144 million for the current year.

How much could football get?

Babcock made a big ask. If Pearson and McCarthy return with everything Babcock requested, that could mean a significant increase in a football budget that ranked fourth among ACC public schools at nearly $41 million.

What would that football budget increase look like compared to ACC football giants Clemson and Florida State?

Hokies AD Babcock urges board to 'radically leap forward' with athletic funding

Babcock showed that Virginia Tech ranks well behind programs like Clemson and FSU in head coach salary ($11.5 million at Clemson, $10 million at FSU and $4.8 million at Tech); assistant coach pool ($10.1 million at Clemson, $11 million at FSU and $5.5 million at Tech); support staff pool ($10.5 million at Clemson, $6.5 million at FSU and $3.4 million at Tech); number of staff members (87 at Clemson, 74 at FSU and 55 at Tech); and recruiting budget ($3.1 million at Clemson, $1.8 million at FSU and $1.2 million at Tech).

While Babcock would prefer to receive the same type of support that Clemson has, if he gets investment in football that ranges between Clemson and FSU, that would provide the Hokies with more opportunities to contend for ACC titles on a yearly basis.

Clemson and FSU have combined to win all but one ACC championship since 2011.

Money will change candidate pool

Pry earned $4.75 million in base and supplemental pay this season and was set to earn $5 million in base and supplemental pay in 2026 and 2027.

Pry's salary ranked 44th nationally among coaches at public schools last year. That number is around what some of the top Group of Six coaches make, and that would be the coaching pool the Hokies could choose from if there isn't an increase in head coach salary.

If the Board of Visitors approves some or all of Babcock's request, Tech will be able to compete with other Power Four conference programs for coaches, drastically changing the types of coaches interested in taking over the Hokies.

An increase in head coach salary and overall football budget could entice sitting head coaches at other Power Four programs to consider Virginia Tech an option.

Who's going to make the hire?

Babcock hired Pry and his predecessor, Justin Fuente, and both were fired during the season (Fuente with two games left in 2021 and Pry after three games in 2025).

Tech Sideline's Andy Bitter reported that a committee will hire the next coach with a chair who has yet to be determined. Babcock will assist and support the search but will not lead it.

Like most athletic directors, Babcock keeps a list of potential replacement coaches for each sport in case the current coach leaves for another program or is fired. Babcock likely had names of potential coaches in mind to replace Pry, and it will be up to the chair and the search committee to decide who the candidates are.

Damien Sordelett (540) 981-3124

damien.sordelett@roanoke.com

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