Virginia Tech’s fans are in a frustrating place where hope is not lost, but optimism is walking on a thin rope. Brent Pry enters his fourth season as head coach, and there are high expectations for him this time. With a 6-7 finish in 2024, revamped staff, and wholesale roster turnover, including 30 new transfers, the question now is straightforward: Can Pry turn this ship before it sails under the radar?
A storm is brewing in Virginia, not apparent in press releases, but evident in hushed conversation. The roster isn’t star-studded, the non-conference schedule has slippery opponents and mid-season ACC pounders, and even during ACC Media Days, the Hokies were prodded to finish towards the bottom of the league. For a team that used to feel invincible weekend after weekend, the path ahead seems unclear. Are we flying around the corner to a turnaround, or circling the drain?
The storm took shape when CBS analyst Bud Elliott didn’t hold back during his preseason breakdown on Cover 3 Podcast, saying, “I think you’re, I mean I think you’re 0‑and‑2 to start. I don’t love what they did in the portal. I think their coaching search was really a struggle, and a lot of guys didn’t want to go coach there because I think Brent Pry is getting fired… this feels like a dead man walking.”
Elliott didn’t pull any punches. He continued: “You don’t get Stanford. You get Wake. You get Cal at home… like, you really gotta get [wins]. But… I think they’re a five‑seven football team. So I’m going under here.” Those two sentences don’t just preview a mediocre season; they lay the groundwork for a coaching exit if things go sideways.
CBS co‑analyst Tom Fornelli echoed the same cautious pessimism: “I’m on a pretty hefty under. They’ve got two SEC teams in the docket, and yes, they’re not on the road, but still tough. Old Dominion? We have seen in the past it’s not a guaranteed win. So, I think [if] they win that, they may win Wofford… [But] if you break the league up into, you know, top half and bottom half, most of this ACC schedule is filled with teams you expect to be in the top half of the standings come the end of the year. And I think a big part of that is because they’ll be beating up on Virginia Tech.” So, more than the talent, it’s the schedule that matters for Virginia Tech. Opening against South Carolina on September 1 and then facing off against Vanderbilt, NC State, and Georgia Tech would be an outright uphill ride for the team.
Virginia Tech Hokies struggled in every critical moment last season
When national analysts start predicting losses even before the season starts, things are definitely not looking good. It’s narrative control. Bud Elliott didn’t just question their projection; he questioned the program’s viability under Brent Pry. And that’s dangerous when every win really matters. Fornelli’s breakdown hits home, too. He sees a schedule mapped like a gauntlet, not a springboard. Two SEC games, an OU-level ODU game, and a bottom-half-conducive section of the ACC, but even that is an illusion. Fornelli reports hits continue to pile up, and they could be too much for this thinning roster.
Statistically, there’s not much cushioning the blow. Virginia Tech ranked 95th in total offense last season and finished 118th in 3rd down conversions. Defensively, they allowed over 160 rushing yards per game, a brutal number in a run-heavy ACC. Kyron Drones offers athleticism at quarterback, and the addition of WR Ali Jennings (returning from injury) should help, but this team needs to flip every trend to survive the season.
If it starts this season with losses to South Carolina, or worse, a falter against Old Dominion, that “dead man walking” label won’t just stick around. It’ll take root. If Brent Pry makes it through the year, it’ll be because Virginia Tech flips all of this on its head, quick starts, portal jewels playing over their heads, and coaches finding fight again. But no sugarcoating it: at the moment, the walls aren’t merely closing in; they’re setting up the moment of truth. And for Brent Pry and the Hokies, the clock is ticking louder.
The post Walls Closing In on Brent Pry as CBS Analyst’s Forecast Couldn’t Be Bleaker appeared first on EssentiallySports.