Virginia Tech fires Brent Pry: Top candidates, transfers and recruits to watch

The archetypal domino of what figures to beryllium a much robust coaching rhythm has fallen, arsenic the Virginia Tech Hokies fired manager Brent Pry connected Sunday, aft an 0-3 commencement to the season.

Pry was expected to correspond a instrumentality to the Frank Beamer glory years successful Blacksburg, arsenic helium had spent 3 years determination arsenic a postgraduate adjunct successful the mid-1990s. Pry reached a vessel crippled successful 2023 and had the roster successful a bully place. But a lukewarm 2024 and a faceplant to commencement this play closed the curtain for Pry, who finished his tally astatine 16-24.

A large subplot of the coaching hunt is: Who volition pb it? Athletics manager Whit Babcock hired some Justin Fuente to win Beamer, and Pry. There are larger post-Beamer problems successful the diversion department. Babcock's presumption seems tenuous astatine best.

Candidates | Transfers | Recruits

Five candidates for the job

Virginia Tech surely volition prioritize erstwhile head-coaching acquisition aft going with a first-timer successful Pry. Connections to the programme and portion mightiness not substance arsenic overmuch this clip around, though Blacksburg is simply a unsocial spot and the adjacent Hokies manager indispensable cognize what he's walking into.

South Carolina manager Shane Beamer: The hunt apt has to commencement with Beamer, Frank's lad and a erstwhile Virginia Tech subordinate who grew up astir the programme and witnessed the Hokies scope unthinkable heights. He has proven himself astatine South Carolina, beating rival Clemson successful 2 of the past 3 years and signaling different notable victories successful SEC play. Beamer, 48, loves South Carolina and sees it arsenic much of a destination than astir coaches do. But sustaining occurrence determination isn't easy, and the accidental to reconstruct Virginia Tech -- successful a league with an easier CFP way -- could tempt him. Virginia Tech has to marque him accidental no.

South Florida manager Alex Golesh: He would springiness Virginia Tech a jolt some successful recruiting and play style, and brings immoderate cognition of the portion aft spending the 2021 and 2022 seasons arsenic Tennessee's violative coordinator. Golesh molded his violative doctrine nether Josh Heupel astatine Tennessee and UCF, aft moving for Matt Campbell astatine Iowa State. The 41-year-old began this play with signature wins against Boise State and Florida, and has his squad positioned to contend successful the American.

Memphis manager Ryan Silverfield: He's softly doing exceptional enactment astatine a programme helium has shaped into his own, and could use the aforesaid attack astatine Virginia Tech. Silverfield is 24-5 since the commencement of the 2023 season, and has held his ain against immoderate of the different apical coaches from the American successful Tulane's Jon Sumrall and South Florida's Alex Golesh. He has been connected the Memphis unit since 2016 but besides would bring immoderate NFL acquisition to Virginia Tech. While immoderate mightiness not get past the thought of hiring different Memphis manager -- Fuente made the aforesaid determination successful precocious 2015 -- Silverfield deserves a adjacent look.

James Madison manager Bob Chesney: Power 4 programs soon volition beryllium coming aft Chesney, who has been a caput manager since 2010 and has built up programs astatine assorted levels. He's already successful the authorities astatine James Madison, which helium led to a 9-4 grounds and a triumph astatine North Carolina successful his debut season. Chesney, 48, is 121-51 arsenic a assemblage coach. The Pennsylvania autochthonal is simply a spot much connected to the Northeast but has familiarity with the areas Virginia Tech chiefly recruits.

Southern Miss manager Charles Huff: His cognition of the country is undeniable arsenic a erstwhile subordinate astatine Hampton who has worked astatine aggregate programs successful Tennessee and landed his archetypal head-coaching occupation astatine Marshall, which helium led to a Sun Belt title past fall. The 42-year-old Huff made an antithetic determination to Southern Miss but is already 2-1 determination and 34-21 wide arsenic an FBS coach. He has recruited the authorities of Virginia and the region...