Three games into the 2025 college football season, the Virginia Tech football program is in a free fall. After brutal losses to South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Old Dominion, the team is off to its worst start since 1987.
With fans growing restless, the conversation in Blacksburg is shifting from on-field struggles to the difficult question of head coach Brent Pry’s job security and what it would cost to make a change.
How Much Would It Cost Virginia Tech to Fire Brent Pry?
According to a CBS Sports report on Pry’s contract, the fourth-year coach is in the middle of a six-year, $27.5 million deal that runs through 2027. His base salary for the current season is $4.75 million, which is set to increase to $5 million for the final two years of the agreement.
Sources: Virginia Tech plans to fire coach Brent Pry today. He’s gone 16-24 through four seasons and started this year 0-3. He’s set to be owed more than $6 million in buyout. pic.twitter.com/yh7ejE0n3C
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 14, 2025
The crucial part of the contract is the buyout clause. This provision requires Virginia Tech to pay 70% of Pry’s remaining base salary. However, that figure drops to 50% for the final year of the deal.
If the university were to fire him after this season, it would owe him approximately $6 million. That total includes $3.5 million for the 2026 season and $2.5 million for 2027.
Those payments would be made in equal installments through December 2027. A mid-season firing would cost the university several million more. That $6 million buyout represents a significant financial hurdle for Virginia Tech, particularly since the athletic department already paid Justin Fuente’s buyout in 2021.
With ACC play just around the corner, athletic director Whit Babcock faces mounting pressure to make a potentially program-altering decision.
The rest of the Hokies’ 2025 slate includes hosting FCS Wofford next week at noon ET and playing N.C. State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Florida State, and Miami, among other ACC foes.
