Hughes: A Few Thoughts This Week on Virginia Tech Football

Lead editor Thomas Hughes offers some of his takes from this past week of Hokies football.

Sep 13, 2025; Blacksburg, Va.; Virginia Tech running back Marcellous Hawkins (27) runs after a catch during the second quarter. | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

Whoever Virginia Tech picks to be their new head coach, following the firing of former head coach Brent Pry, has to be the right move. Not for athletic director Whit Babcock's job security — I think that he's out before a new head coach enters the frame.

"Three strikes, you're out," is how it goes in baseball. For athletic directors, it's two. Rarely, if ever, does an athletic director receive an opportunity to hire a third head coach. Missing once can be chalked down to a lack of culture fit, or simply, picking a head coach who doesn't have the chops to be the top whistle at a D-I program.

I don't yet know who that pick is, or whether it'll be the right one. Maybe it's Shane Beamer — if the money works out and Beamer wants to come to Blacksburg after having previously claimed that he wanted to demarcate himself from his father's shadow. Maybe it's Jimbo Fisher — if he still has the magic. And maybe it's an offensive coordinator, like Miami's Shannon Dawson — if the Hokies feel comfortable hiring someone with no collegiate coaching experience.

That's a lot of "ifs".

A large portion of determining who actually is interested in the Hokies' coaching vacancy comes on Sept. 30, the date of the Board of Visitors presentation. Until then, it's a case of "wait and see". That goes for any potential head coach for Virginia Tech. Until a plan is in place, nothing concrete can take place and that requires a decision on who the athletic director is. For my money, I don't think it's going to be Babcock.

In the short-term, this season will be bad, as is typical of any lame-duck campaign. The goal should be to at least develop, figure out which players want to or should stay with the program in 2026, and then move forward. This represents a "prove-it" season now, rather than reaching the threshold required to qualify for a bowl game. Even getting five wins now is unlikely, given that Pry's firing has cracked the door ajar for the next 30 days for any Virginia Tech player to exit the program.

Dante Lovett was the first, announcing his intent to depart this afternoon. It's almost an impossibility that he'll be the last.

Virginia Tech cornerback Dante Lovett plans to enter the transfer portal, his agent @BNM_777k tells @On3sports.

The 6-foot, 200-pound CB has 36 career tackles, 1 INT and a forced fumble. Will redshirt and have 2 years of eligibility remaining. https://t.co/wrfuvx08mo pic.twitter.com/j0QqWYqTYe

— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) September 15, 2025

There will be more transfers. And for that end, Virginia Tech needs to be more cutthroat, instituting more of a "prove-it" mentality that carries over into the future. Nice guys don't win football games.

As for what to do with Kyron Drones for the remainder of this season, the question becomes whether you aim to win or you aim to develop. Given that this campaign is a lame-duck one, now residing at 0-3 for the first time since 1987 — Frank Beamer's first year as head coach — I'm hard-pressed as to find any reason for prioritizing winning over development in a season looking as grim as this one. My idea? Start William "Pop" Watson III in stretches in a competitive battle with Oklahoma State transfer Garrett Rangel. Drones is in his final year of eligibility in what is, again, a season looking bleaker by the day.

Do I know whether Watson will ultimately be better than Drones? No — and it would be unfair to pretend anyone has that answer right now. What can be said, however, is that Watson has time on his side. With eligibility beyond this year and the opportunity to develop within the system, he represents a clearer investment in the program’s future and a far more prescient piece when projecting where Virginia Tech wants to be two or three years down the road.

According to the Virginian-Pilot's David Teel, Tech's slate of ACC opponents have gone a combined 20-2. Portions of that are because some of the other schools scheduled noncompetitive non-conference games, but the Hokies are no longer favored in any game in ESPN's FPI going forward except Wofford this week, followed by Cal and Wake Forest.

On that note, Virginia Tech has fallen all the way to No. 73 in the FPI with a new projected record of 3.7-8.3. This season is bleak. So, develop. Figure out what you have right now and what you can get going forward.

Whoever coaches will likely be better than Pry. For one, I disagreed last year with the lack of a coherent run game against Clemson. An injured and hobbled Bhayshul Tuten was the only back to log carries that day, rushing four times for... no net yards. And that was also the game where an already-injured Drones was sidelined for what turned out to be the remainder of the year.

For another point, I’ve always been a strong proponent of prioritizing player development once a game slips out of reach. When the Hokies fell behind by more than 30 points in the third quarter, that was the moment to turn to Watson. At that stage, the contest was effectively decided, and keeping Drones on the field only exposed him to unnecessary hits in a game that no longer mattered. Giving Watson those reps would have served two purposes — protecting the starter and accelerating the growth of the younger quarterback. In situations like that, for me, the long-term value far outweighs any short-term optics in a contest where you trail by 31 with 20 minutes of game time remaining.

Virginia Tech football will continue its 2025 campaign with a Week 4 showdown against FCS Wofford on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 12 p.m. ET; viewing for the contest is available on ACC Network Extra.