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Rising college football head coach emerging as top candidate for Virginia Tech job

Joe Cox|
Following the firing of Brent Pry (above), James Franklin has been often linked with the Penn State job, but a Group of Five coach is emerging as a viable candidate.
Following the firing of Brent Pry (above), James Franklin has been often linked with the Penn State job, but a Group of Five coach is emerging as a viable candidate. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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Virginia Tech HokiesJames Madison Dukes

Virginia Tech's head coaching search might be taking a turn, if predictive market Kalshi is an indication. Tech fired Brent Pry in September, and has long been linked with Penn State coach James Franklin. But a second coach is emerging as a significant candidate, and now has a 25% chance at taking the Virginia Tech job, according to Kalshi's latest projection, up from 1% just eight days ago.

G5 Climber

James Madison coach Bob Chesney is the coach making a climb in the prediction market. At a regional school just two hours away from Tech, Chesney has taken a team into the top 25 that was playing FCS football in 2021. The son of a high school coach, Chesney has drawn praise from coaches and players alike.

“Coach Ches emphasizes the team, getting to know the guy next to you," quarterback Alonza Barnett III told The Athletic. "And if you hang around the program, you know it’s not fake.”

Chesney's Resume

Hired after Curt Cignetti left James Madison for Indiana, Chesney had extensive NCAA Division II and FCS head coaching experience. He's now 17-5 in his second year at James Madison and the 8-1 Dukes have reached the AP top 25. Their only loss of the year is a 28-14 defeat at Louisville and the Dukes have won seven of their eight games by 10 points or more.

Chesney's background is in defense and the Dukes are dominating the Sun Belt Conference on that side of the ball. JMU's 16.9 points per game allowed not only leads the conference, it's 6.5 points better than the second-place team. Likewise, the Dukes' 269.4 yards per game allowed is 87 yards less than the second-place follower.

Likewise, the Dukes are the best in the league in red-zone touchdown defense (only half of opponents' red-zone trips end in touchdowns) and third down defense (just 32.3% conversions allowed).

The price tag on Chesney

The 48-year-old Chensey could be attractive as a cost-saving measure. Franklin was set to earn $8.5 million from Penn State in 2025. Chesney's 2025 salary has been reported at $833,495. His current contract is set to run through 2028. His buyout for another job has been reported at $1.25 million, which is likely a drop in the proverbial bucket for Virginia Tech.

Other notable candidates (or the lack thereof)

Of course, the major candidate for the job remains James Franklin, whose Kalshi odds are still hanging around 60%, which is a notable dip, but still makes him the major favorite. There are no other major candidates currently getting any attention aside from Franklin and Chesney. For instance, South Florida's Alex Golesh is at 1%, a decline from the 10% chance that was once listed.

Chesney
James Madison coach Bob Chesney is rising in the Kalshi prediction market as a viable option for the Virginia Tech Hokies | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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