Hughes: The Wait Is Over For Virginia Tech Football. Now It's Time To Get Through The Rest of 2025.

Two games remain before the Hokies move on to 2026 and James Franklin's first year at the helm.

Nov 15, 2025; Tallahassee, Fla.; Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones (1) celebrates a touchdown against Florida State. | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Lost amid the turbulence, and eventual landing, of the Virginia Tech football coaching-search plane was the simple reality that the Hokies still had to line up and play football on Saturday, a prototypical 34-14 loss to Florida State where Tech's defensive line and tailbacks played well while the passing attack faltered. Had I described the loss to my father, I likely would have been met with a response of "Which game?"

For weeks, the biggest story circulating around Blacksburg had nothing to do with on-field execution, red-zone adjustments or personnel groupings. Instead, the conversation tilted almost entirely toward future leadership, long-term culture resets and the trajectory of where exactly Virginia Tech football is, and should go.

Now, with the search resolved and James Franklin officially tabbed as the next head whistle, some of the noise has finally settled. But the games remain, and the remainder of 2025 still looms. The Hokies aren’t done yet, even if attention naturally starts shifting toward what comes next.

The last few weeks have been defined by a rare combination of apathy, anticipation and lingering uncertainty. From the moment Brent Pry was dismissed on Nov. 14 after that ignominious 45-26 loss to Old Dominion, the narrative around the program transformed. Wins and losses for this season now exist as a backdrop.

Once Franklin emerged as the frontrunner, the atmosphere grew even stranger. A fanbase conditioned to ride the waves of emotion with this team began turning its eyes toward the horizon instead. College GameDay discussions, industry whispers and administrative timelines drew more attention than box scores. Saturday’s contest against Florida State unfolded less like a referendum on performance and more like a bridge to what comes next, a watch that makes one think, "This year's almost over."

That shift doesn’t mean the on-field product doesn’t matter. It does — if not for the postseason, which Tech can no longer make, then for the players, staff and supporters who still invest effort, expectation and identity into these final snaps. But for the first time all season, there is clarity. The debate is no longer about what Virginia Tech should do. It’s now about what the Hokies can do under Franklin’s direction.

Nov 15, 2025; Tallahassee, Fla.; Florida State wide receiver Duce Robinson (0) catches a pass against Virginia Tech. | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

That’s where the final stretch of 2025 takes on its own purpose.

The reality is that this year has been long. From the season-opening loss to South Carolina, to the frustrating defeats against Old Dominion, Wake Forest and Louisville, among others, to the attrition and opt-outs that stripped depth from multiple position groups, the path has been full of turbulence. The team has battled through injuries, inconsistency and the mental toll that comes when a season continually resets expectations downward.

Yet, in a strange way, the conclusion of the coaching search offers something the Hokies haven’t really had since August: direction.

What happens over the next two weeks won’t rewrite the season, but it can influence the transition ahead. These games give younger players opportunities to solidify roles heading into winter workouts. They give the interim staff a chance to evaluate personnel with a fuller picture in mind. And they give Franklin something arguably more valuable than any introductory press conference: honest film of a roster he now inherits.

It’s no secret that Virginia Tech’s offensive limitations have been exposed repeatedly. A strong rushing performance against Florida State, highlighted by a 100-plus-yard evening from Marcellous Hawkins, hasn’t been complemented by consistent passing efficiency. The Hokies remain one-dimensional, and quality defenses continue to exploit that. Franklin, known for building solutions through structure, staff alignment and quarterback development, will certainly take note.

Again — clarity helps. For the players still suited up, these final games offer a final chance to shape first impressions under a new regime. Effort is evaluated. Habits are tracked. Competitiveness is noticed. Franklin has built his reputation on structure; structure always starts with accountability.

For fans, the remaining games are strangely freeing. The pressure is off. No bowl push hangs in the balance. It's not the type of year where Virginia Tech enters its annual clash with Virginia needing to claim a win to reach a bowl. No coaching drama overshadows kickoff. What’s left is simple: watching a team finish what it started while imagining how different it might look in eight months.

And for Virginia Tech as an institution, the remainder of 2025 marks a pivot point — from uncertainty to planning, from speculation to strategy and after the next 11 days, from surviving the season to reconstructing the next one.

No, the final record won’t be glamorous. At best, Virginia Tech ends this campaign with a 5-7 record. And no, the wins won’t retroactively fix the missteps that led here. But this moment still matters, because endings and beginnings often overlap. The Hokies are now reaching the point where the two blend.

The wait for a coach is over. The future is en route. First, Virginia Tech has to finish the present. Two more games, two more chances to compete and two more steps before the rebuild truly begins.