National Pundit Gives Virginia Tech A Brutally Honest Grade For Its 2025 Season

Virginia Tech finished the year 3-9 and missed a bowl game. How should this season be graded?

Nov 29, 2025; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones (1) passes the ball from his own end zone against the Virginia Cavaliers in the third quarter at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

While the excitement might be off the charts for the James Franklin era in Blacksburg, that does not mean that the 2025 season is going to be looked back on fondly.

Unlike last season, Virginia Tech started off this season with no expectations, but yet they were still somehow playing below what people thought they might do. After hanging tough with South Carolina in the season opener, they were blown out by Old Dominion and Vanderbilt, resulting in the firing of Brent Pry as the head coach. After he was fired, the Hokies finished 3-6 in their final nine games and were competitive in each one. Now, all eyes are the future with Franklin.

In a recent grade of each ACC teams, CBS Sports Chip Patterson gave the Hokies an "F" for their 2025 campaign:

"No one had specifically penciled Virginia Tech in as an ACC title contender, but the Hokies were expected to be a solid bowl team and one of the better squads of the Brent Pry era. After an 0-3 start that saw Virginia Tech lose by an average of 18.7 points per game, the school decided to fire Pry, and while there were a couple of good highlights showcasing the players' resiliency (wins at NC State and in overtime against Cal) this was not a successful season by any measure. The future looks bright with James Franklin taking over, but the final grade for 2025 is not a passing one. Grade: F"

Moving forward

Nov 19, 2025; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin speaks during the press conference at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

How quickly is Franklin going to have this program up and rolling? It will depend on how things shake out with the transfer portal and how this roster takes shape heading into next season. Aside from Miami, there is no team on the schedule for Virginia Tech next season where the Hokies are going to be a operating at a major talent deficit. Could this lead to a big first year under Franklin?

This is going to be a complete overhaul for this program, but there is hope that things are going to get turned around quickly. Franklin decided to bring back Pry as the defensive coordinator for the program, a role in which he excelled at when he was with Franklin at Penn State. Franklin is close to rounding out his staff amd with the transfer portal opening in a number of weeks, it will be time to hit the ground running to flip things around quickly.