Projecting how Virginia Tech can improve in 2024 season, beyond
One of the trendier teams in the ACC a few months away from the season is Virginia Tech. Head coach Brent Pry turned things around in the back half of 2023, going 6-3 after starting the year with three losses in four games. That includes a bowl win for the first time since 2016.
Momentum is seemingly on their side and when looking at the schedule, there are a ton of winnable games for Virginia Tech. ESPN’s David Hale is hesitant to count some of them as chalk for now, based on the early blunders from last season. But if the Hokies perform how we expect, wins are certainly there for the taking.
“Their schedule is pretty accommodating this year,” Hale said via Wednesday’s episode of Andy Staples On3. “It’s hard to say that when you’re losing games like Marshall and Old Dominion before — that doesn’t necessarily mean the schedule should be easy. But this should be a much more manageable schedule if they’re playing that level of football.”
Clemson and Miami are the only big-named ACC schools on the schedule, with the latter game being on the road. The likes of Florida State and Louisville — two losses from last year — are avoided.
Outside of the schedule, the confidence in Virginia Tech lies within the offense. Quarterback Kyron Drones is back for another season after hitting his stride down the stretch. Some of the best weapons return to Blacksburg and has Pry, a defensive head coach, as excited about any offense he’s ever been around.
“They have some real weapons they are comfortable using now,” Hale said. “You talk to Pry, he says ‘Going back to my Penn State days, I don’t remember an offense I was this excited about. I hope we’re not giving up 30 a game but I think we could and still win football games.'”
Brent Pry a better cultural fit than previous Virginia Tech head coaches
When Justin Fuente took over for Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech seemed all right. His first season produced 10 wins and the following one nine. However, two of the next three were losing ones and had he not been fired midseason in 2021, the Hokies might have finished below .500 under his watch.
Even Pry started his tenure out rough, going 3-8 in 2022, and then starting 2023 1-3. Things have since turned around for Virginia Tech and Hale credits the short-term success to Pry being a better culture fit for the program.
Results will have to continue to show up but Hale is confident Pry will work in the long-term, something Staples believes is needed in college football.
“I think it’s another example of where fit matters,” Hale said. “Fry is a Virginia Tech guy who knows the area, knows the recruiting, knows the high school coaches, understands the dynamic of the community there.
“I like Justin Fuente quite a bit but he was just a bad cultural fit there almost from the outset. With Fuente, a couple of different factions within the administration. Some were Fuente guys and some were not. I think Fry has a personality and a history and a vision that everybody is rowing in the same direction now.”