Mary Gilmore, Staff Writer
The College Football season has begun, and it’s been quite the sour start for Hokie fans. The season began 0-3, which led to head coach Brent Pry being fired.
The early season has been hard on Virginia Tech fans. Their first game against South Carolina resulted in a loss of 24-11. Vanderbilt caused the team to experience another loss, with the final score being 44-20. Virginia Tech fired Pry on Sunday, September 14th after a rough 45-26 loss to Old Dominion.
Virginia Tech president, Tim Sands, released a statement following the Old Dominion game, “Unfortunately, the results on the field were not acceptable and a change in leadership is necessary. Philip Montgomery will serve as interim head coach. We will continue to fully support our team and student-athletes for the remaining games as we strive together to significantly improve the trajectory of our football program this season.”
This extreme management change early in the season isn’t that surprising to those who follow Virginia Tech football. Having this bad of a starting record, 0-3, is the program’s first since 1987. The Hokies also finished the 2024 season with a 6-6 record, a result that lacked excitement for their future with Pry.
After being fired, Pry released a statement regarding the situation, “Blacksburg will always hold a special place in our hearts. We leave with wonderful memories and lifelong friendships, and we will forever be cheering for the Hokies.”
His statement, though gracious, was not met with much love from Virginia Tech students. During the ODU game, boos aimed at Brent Pry echoed through the stadium, expressing students’ extreme frustration. When the program announced Pry’s departure, students celebrated in person and on social media, reflecting a college community eager for change.
Annalia Ciulla, an engineering student and sophomore at Virginia Tech, stated, “[When he was fired] We were all like thank god. We lost by a lot to the worst team in college football and many of us decided then that he needed to be fired. I honestly don’t know a single student who was sad about it.”
The future of the team regarding their head coach is unknown thus far. ESPN predicts that Virginia Tech is going to hire a seasoned coach after their failure with first-timer Pry. Some of these predicted coaches include South Carolina coach Shane Beamer, South Florida coach Alex Golesh, and Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield.
With interim head coach Philip Montgomery, the Hokies went on to beat the Wofford Terriers in a wipeout of 38-6 for their fourth game of the season. Their next matchup is against NC State on Saturday, which will prove whether the Hokies are back and ready for the rest of this season.
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