Virginia Tech’s firing of Brent Pry leaves the team no choice but to reassess the state of the Hokies. Pry led the team to a 16-24 record in his first opportunity as a head coach. He has one bowl game win under his belt, but an overall losing record in just over three seasons would not cut it.
With the team sitting at 0-3, AD Whit Babcock has a clear vision for the future.
AD Whit Babcock Envisions Virginia Tech Will Mirror the NFL’s Setup
One of the more shocking announcements to come out of Pry’s firing is the fact that Babcock will not be involved in the hiring of the next head coach. Pry’s 0-3 start leaves the team in an unfortunate position, as their schedule doesn’t get any easier from here.
With No. 18 Georgia Tech, No. 7 Florida State, and No. 4 Miami all awaiting a date with the Hokies, the team believes they have a vision for success.
Senior writer Andy Bitter wrote, “Babcock said the Hokies plan to have a new structure in their athletic department going forward, with more of an NFL setup.” While Bitter knows Babcock didn’t outright say it, he believes a football general manager is coming.
Babcock said the #Hokies plan to have a new structure in their athletic department going forward, with more of an NFL setup.
He didn’t say it, but that sure sounds like a football GM is coming.
— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) September 16, 2025
“I would expect a lot more clarification on what this might look like in a couple of weeks when the BOV votes on the proposal being made about additional funding for the Hokies’ athletic department. That money’s not coming without conditions of restructuring,” Bitter added.
In the current world of college football, the transfer portal and NIL make it incredibly difficult for a team like Virginia Tech to compete. Once they land a top recruit, that player could be gone as soon as the next season to find a greener pasture. Babcock’s plan may be the only thing possible to save the school’s football program.
MORE: 5 Replacements for Brent Pry After Virginia Tech Head Coach Firing Include Michael Vick, Jon Gruden
Ross Dellenger responded to Bitter’s post, “Update from Virginia Tech AD Whit Babcock as Hokies begin a coaching search, which will not be led by Babcock, as has been reported.”
Update from Virginia Tech AD Whit Babcock as Hokies begin a coaching search, which will not be led by Babcock, as has been reported https://t.co/QhEfC3wqzB
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) September 16, 2025
The Hokies’ 24-11 Week 1 loss to No. 13 South Carolina didn’t originally look so bad. Now, the Gamecocks are no longer ranked. The next week, Tech was embarrassed by Vanderbilt, 44-20. Then, the unthinkable happened as they fell to in-state foe Old Dominion, 45-26.
Virginia Tech now has to battle an FCS Wofford team that has lost all three of its games by a combined six points. A loss would be the final nail in the coffin — if getting blown out in their first three home games wasn’t bad enough.
