Virginia Tech moves forward with an interim football coach and reshaping of Hokies' athletics

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BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Virginia Tech is moving forward after the firing of fourth-year football coach Brent Pry, both for the rest of the season under an interim coach and toward a larger reshaping of the Hokies' athletics operations.

Athletic director Whit Babcock spoke to reporters Tuesday without taking questions two days after Pry's firing, coming with the Hokies sitting at 0-3 for the first time since 1987 — the first season under former longtime coach Frank Beamer.

“College sports, especially Power Four football, is a results-oriented business and we obviously didn't win enough football games,” Babcock said.

Pry's firing came a day after the Hokies fell behind 31-0 on the way to a 45-26 home loss to Old Dominion. And going back to halftime of the previous week's loss to Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech gave up 65 unanswered points in a stretch of more than 70 minutes of game action.

The school hired Pry in 2021 after eight seasons as Penn State's defensive coordinator, bringing back a former graduate assistant under Beamer. But Pry went just 16-24 in a tenure marked by struggling against power-conference opposition (15 straight losses) and in close games (1-12 in one-possession games).

Offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery is serving as interim coach as the Hokies return to the field Saturday against Wofford, a Championship Subdivision opponent. Montgomery served as head coach at Tulsa from 2015-22 and joined Pry's staff before this season.

“We've got an opportunity right now to write the ending of what this story is going to be,” Montgomery said after Babcock's statement.

Sunday's announcement came from school president Tim Sands instead of Babcock, while Sands pointed to a need to “develop a financial, organizational and leadership plan” to compete with the Atlantic Coast Conference's best.

Babcock declined to comment on specifics beyond Sands' statement Sunday, noting a proposed plan is set to be reviewed on how to “modernize” the Hokies' approach to football and athletics overall.

“The paradigm of the college football landscape has obviously changed and we are better positioning ourselves for success, to be ahead of the curve rather than chasing behind it,” Babcock said.

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