Andy Staples, one of the most reputable college football analysts in the nation, released his list of players on the hot seat for the 2025-2026 season. At the top of the list? Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry. Brent was joined alongside Troy Taylor (Stanford), Scott Satterfield (Cincinnati), Brett Brennan (Arizona), Mike Locksley (Maryland), Sam Pittman (Arkansas), Billy Napier (Florida), and Hugh Freeze (Auburn).
Brent Pry, the newest Virginia Tech head coach in the long line of Hokie leaders, holds only a 16-21 record in three years of service. Pry has only one bowl win and only one winning season, both of which came in the 2023 season where the Hokies finished 7-6 with a Military Bowl win against Tulane. Even though the Hokies suffered more losses in 2024, Virginia Tech’s SRS (Simple Rating System), was four points prior than the year before. With zero being average, Virginia Tech had a SRS of -6.78 in Pry’s first year, 5.90 in Pry’s second year, and 9.84 in Pry’s third year.
Even though there’s some growth in some categories, the Hokies have to be better. Being a perennial six-win team is not the desired brand of Virginia Tech football, and after Coach Fuente’s tenure, the Hokies have not been as big of a success as program history suggests.
By the third or fourth year of a coach’s tenure, you can generally see what the trajectory of a college football program is going to be. With Virginia Tech’s current status in the college football landscape, it’s hard to judge, and that’s why Pry is considered to be on the “hot seat” by Andy Staples. There has been some genuine growth as a program, but overall, the changes just seem mediocre and that might not be enough.
Recruiting has gone fairly well, again the Hokies are not separated from the back, but they are not heavily lacking. The Hokies finished 41st overall in 247Sports recruiting rankings, 39th overall in 247Sports Composite rankings, and 33rd overall in 247Sports Transfer Rankings.
The other main thing that Brent Pry has going for him is the recent signing of Sam Siefkes as the Hokies’ new defensive coordinator. If the hire works out, this could buy Brent Pry a seat away from the hot seat. If the hire doesn’t? Pry will definitely remain on the hot seat. Siefkes is the definition of a risky hire. He doesn’t have experience as a coordinator at the Power Four level, but he has extreme upside, being praised as one of the best defensive minds in all of football by Dave Aranda and Mike Zimmer. This is the big determinant for Brent Pry in 2025. He needs to lean on his staff in this upcoming year, and the Hokies could be much better if Eveeything starts to click with Kyron Drones behind center.
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