On3 Sports’ pressure ranking for Virginia Tech football coach Brent Pry is off base

When Brent Pry took over the Virginia Tech football program, he was left in a mess by former head coach Justin Fuente. Pry was starting from the bottom up trying to bring the program back to its glory days, but he knew it wouldn’t happen overnight.

Fast forward to Year 3 of the Brent Pry era in Blacksburg and the Hokies enter the 2024 season with visions of being an ACC contender with a roster that had plenty of holdover from last season and some key additions to the transfer window. Being in this spot heading into Pry’s third year is a surprise, but it doesn’t stop him from starting the season with some pressure on him.

Virginia Tech enters the season as a Top 25 team and faces a feasible schedule of no state Florida, North Carolina State and Louisville, the three teams that beat the Hokies a year ago in the conference, and it wouldn’t happen. be surprised to see them in November fighting for an ACC championship game spot. According to Jesse Simonton of On3 Sports, there is some pressure on the former Penn State defensive coordinator to produce on the field in 2024.

“Brent Pry, Virginia Tech – Medium
The Hokies are among the offseason darlings as Pry looks to capitalize on his team’s strong tight end in 2023. Led by quarterback Kyron Drones and star pass rusher Antwaun Powell-Ryland, they return the nation’s 5th-most production.

While Va. Tech went 3-8 in Pry’s first season in Blacksburg, he proved his process had merit by landing key transfers and fielding the program’s best recruiting class in years. The Hokies then went on to win seven games and were able to selectively add more impact players to the roster this season. Will. Tech is a real sleeper contender for the ACC this fall, and a potential 10-win season is possible (something that hasn’t happened since 2016).
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– Jesse Simonton

I agree with Simonton that Virginia Tech is a sleeper next season in the ACC, but what I disagree with him about is the pressure ranking for Pry being at an average. The only way it should be that big is if the Hokies don’t really succeed this season to the point where they go 6-6 or worse. The retention of the roster was huge and a statement from the players in the program that the culture the coaching staff is building is one they want to play for.

Recruiting has been on the rise for the Class of 2025 and they’ve already secured a quarterback tenure in the Class of 2026. Is it the end of the world if the Hokies don’t play for an ACC title this season? No, because it would have to be at least an eight- or nine-win season, and with the mess Pry left, who saw that coming so quickly in Year 3? His pressure rating for the 2024 campaign should be low.