Three Weeks In: What to Note From Virginia Tech Football So Far

Lead editor Thomas Hughes ruminates on what to take away from a trio of contests for Virginia Tech football.

Sep 13, 2025; Blacksburg, Va.; Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones (1) and offensive lineman Tommy Ricard (58) during the second quarter. | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

Following Virginia Tech football’s humiliating Week 3 defeat, it became clear that a course correction was not just warranted — it was necessary. The Hokies, reeling from another tough loss and an 0-3 start to the season, faced a crossroads that demanded decisive action.

WEEK 4: VIRGINIA TECH VS. WOFFORD

🧵: WHITE EFFECT

📍: LANE STADIUM

📺: 12 PM ET ON @accnetwork #ThisIsHome | #TeamOverMe pic.twitter.com/mHXkMuOJ4A

— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) September 16, 2025

In response, the program swiftly turned the page, parting ways with head coach Brent Pry, signaling a new, uncertain chapter for a team grappling with mounting challenges both on and off the field.

Philip Montgomery's now in the saddle after starting the season as the offensive coordinator; prior to Blacksburg, he served in the United Football League (UFL) with the Birmingham Stallions as an offensive coordinator and previously was a head coach with the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes. Ironically enough, he was the coach opposite Virginia Tech for the 2015 Independence Bowl, which marked iconic Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer's final game — and win — as a head coach.

The good thing to note about the remainder of the season is that Montgomery brings prior experience as a Division I head coach — and relatively recent experience, at that. Less than half a decade ago, he was the one directing the show. Now, he’s back, calling the shots. Montgomery arrived in Blacksburg just seven months ago, stepping into what is still a relatively new environment for him. Yet that prior experience gives him a head start in managing the team and navigating the challenges ahead.

"Yeah, I think it provides some different challenges for sure," Montgomery said in his first press conference on Tuesday. "That being said, I've been in this role. I understand what it takes. I understand how you're going to get pulled in a lot of different directions, what that does to your time, what that does to the energy that you got to put in certain areas. I think I'm well-suited for that part of it. I've got a great staff that's going to be supporting me in that sense. And so, those guys are locked in with me. And so, this is not going to be a one-man show. This is going to be a team effort. But at the end of the day, it's really more again, I'm going to continue to keep preaching this. This is more about our players and our program and our locker room and us coming together and really doing some great things to have an opportunity to really make people proud of what we are and what we do."

The offensive line remains what Pry called a "patchwork crew" earlier in the month and now will presumably be without reserve lineman Brody Meadows for the remainder of the season. When asked whether Meadows will suit up again in the 2025 campaign, Montgomery answered with "probably not." Whether it's smoke and mirrors is yet to be seen, but it's yet another blow to an offensive line that's been gashed by injuries.

Like Meadows, reserve tackle Jaden Muskrat hasn’t seen a single snap this season, and his availability remains uncertain. Meanwhile, the offensive line now features more redshirt freshmen than upperclassmen, a setup that hardly inspires confidence.

The injuries up front have caused a notable shift in how the offensive line is perceived. While it wasn’t regarded as one of the team’s standout position groups heading into the season, the combination of missed games and inexperience has turned it into a clear weak spot. Redshirt freshmen are now tasked with filling the gaps left by injured starters, and the line is still adjusting, game by game, to the challenge of keeping the offense on track.

Special teams, by contrast, have seen a subtler shift in tone. While there is a sense of adjustment and recalibration, the changes aren't coming at the root.

"There's not a magic formula and it's not rocket science," said special teams coach Stu Holt at Wednesday's media availability. "I mean, you got to go out and you got to execute at a really high level and you got to play really, really hard. And so, those goals don't change and these couple practices have been good. They've been good, but we had good practices leading up to other games. So, we've got to go do it. We got to go out and and we got to go do it as a as a team. So, I think that the guys understand the importance. I do think that. I mean, I don't know how a week and end-of-week and decision like that doesn't grab everyone's attention. So, in that regard, yeah, probably so. Probably so. But, the preparation, we're going hard and we're working hard and and trying to eliminate mistakes and trying to play sound football and that's certainly a big emphasis."

Virginia Tech football will face off against Wofford in its Week 4 clash on Saturday, Sept. 20 with viewing available on ACC Network Extra.