CFB Analyst Says No Coach Needs A Win In Week One More Than Virginia Tech's Brent Pry

Jul 24, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry answers questions from the media during ACC Media Days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Entering year four in Blacksburg, head coach Brent Pry is trying to play his way off of the hot seat. After coming into the 2024 season with high expectations, the Hokies finished with a 6-7 record, including more abysmal one-score game performances. Virginia Tech saw five players drafted and a number of high profile players elected to enter the transfer portal. With 30 plus new transfers on the team and two new coordinators, can Pry find a way to work his way off of the hot seat this season? Is a bowl game going to be good enough or will Virginia Tech need to find themselves in ACC contention?

The Hokies are going to start their season against South Carolina in Atlanta, GA and while they are huge underdogs, Pry and his program really could use a win to change the perception of his program. During ACC Media Days, ACC Network's Roddy Jones says no person on Earth needs a win more Pry:

“I don’t think there’s a person on this Earth that needs or could use a win Week 1 more than Brent Pry,” Jones said via ACC Network. “He wins that game and I think there will be a collective deep breath, collective sigh for Virginia Tech. Because there’s a lot of consternation now around that program. Imagine the pressure on the Vanderbilt game if he loses to South Carolina Week 1.”

Pry talked a lot about the matchup with South Carolina yesterday during his press conference:

"Yeah, first of all, I think the way they responded to adversity early in their season. A testament to Shane and to that group of coaches and players, to rally back and finish the way they did.

They've notched some big wins, which is where we're still trying to get. We came awful close on a Friday night down in Miami, but we haven't garnered that type of win. South Carolina presents an opportunity to do that.

They're arguably a top-10 group. They're talented on both fronts. They've got a really -- their defensive line is productive. They're athletic. They're tenacious. They've got a great plan defensively.

I think the quarterback is one of the best in the country, and he's only going to get better. I think the pieces around him -- the offensive line, down the stretch, played as well as any group out there. Veteran coaches, and I know they're doing it the right way.

We're going to have our hands full, but we've got a good group. We're hungry, and we're competing, and we're deeper. We've got a bunch of transfers, but these transfers have a ton of experience, guys with a lot of reps at other places, and they've really come together nicely.

It's going to be a dogfight. We're going to give them everything that we've got, that's for sure."

Jul 24, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry answers questions from the media during ACC Media Days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Jones is not wrong that Pry needs a win. He is on one of the hottest seats in the country, but that would cool significantly if he can beat one of the SEC's top teams.

In a 2025 hot seat ranking released earlier this offseson, CBS Sports analyst Sheran Jeyarajah had Pry in the now or never category of the hot seat rankings, which was led by Louisiana Tech's Sonny Cumbie:

"Expectations were high in 2024 with a manageable schedule and returning playmakers on both sides. Instead, Pry delivered a disappointing 6-7 campaign and eighth place finish in the ACC. Things don't get easier with two nonconference games against SEC opponents and many more bowl teams on the schedule. Missing the postseason could shove Pry out of Blacksburg."

Earlier this offseason, ESPN's Adam Rittenberg listed Pry as a coach on the hot seat going into 2025 and listed him in the "Don't backslide" category alongside Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman, Florida's Billy Napier, and Cal's Justin Wilcox:

"The hot-seat talk bubbled up around Pry in November, and if the Commonwealth Cup had gone differently, Virginia Tech could have had a decision to make after a disappointing fall. Pry's second consecutive 6-6 regular season got him to a bowl game, but he will enter Year 4 with a new defensive coordinator and a staff that will include former longtime Hokies DC Bud Foster as an advisor/analyst.

Pry is halfway through his contract and Virginia Tech isn't in the best position to eat a seven-figure buyout. Virginia Tech should be more competitive in a very winnable ACC, especially with quarterback Kyron Drones back. The Hokies have eclipsed seven wins just once since 2017."

Will Pry need to improve upon his record in 2025 to be assured of another season in Blacksburg? Virginia Tech opens the season against South Carolina in Atlanta, and the Gamecocks are likely going to start the season with a lofty ranking. They also face Miami, Georgia Tech, Florida State, and Louisville next season, but it is not a murderers row of a schedule. Needless to say, the Hokies need to see some progress next season.