Virginia Tech Football Turns Attention To Offseason Decisions

By: David Cunningham | Managing Editor
The offseason is now upon Virginia Tech and Brent Pry, and it’s crucial the Hokies come out of it in a better place. (Ivan Morozov)

With the football game vs. Virginia on Nov. 26 canceled, Virginia Tech got an early start to its offseason last week. Ultimately, the Hokies’ season ended on a high with a 23-22 win over Liberty.

On the docket now? Conversations, and plenty of them. There’s a NCAA-mandated dead period between Monday and Thursday where coaching staffs have an opportunity to tie up loose ends with players. Those discussions, which are made by the coaches, the players and their families, include a variety of options. Ten players on Tech’s roster have the opportunity to use a NCAA-granted COVID year of eligibility, a few might have a medical redshirt as an option, the NFL Draft may be enticing while the transfer portal could come calling.

Pry said the Hokies have had a bunch of conversations already since the season concluded, and there are around 34 scheduled this week.

“It’s my goal and the staff’s goal to supply as much information as we can to each one of these guys and their families to make the best choice,” Pry told the media in Monday’s press conference. “And I’ve told them all, … ‘I’m going to support you either way, whatever your decision is. To stay here, to leave, to go to the NFL, whatever it is. But here’s my opinion, here’s my perspective, here’s the staff’s perspective on what we would think if we were in your shoes. But ultimately it’s about you and your family making a choice.’

“It’s been my point from the very beginning, I want young men in this program that want to be here, that believe in Virginia Tech, that want to do it the way we want to do it, what we think is right for our place, for our program. When we recruit young men or retain young men to our roster, it’s about surrounding them with as many like-minded people as we can.”

Among the veterans playmakers who have the option to return: wide receiver Kaleb Smith, tight end Nick Gallo, defensive tackles Mario Kendricks and Norell Pollard, linebacker Keshon Artis and defensive backs Armani Chatman and Nasir Peoples. On Nov. 16, linebacker Alan Tisdale told reporters he plans on using his extra year to return to Blacksburg.

Kaleb Smith is one of a handful of players who have an extra year of eligibility. Will any of them return to Virginia Tech? (Ivan Morozov)

Meanwhile, cornerback DJ Harvey became the first player to officially announce a decision when he entered the transfer portal on Monday afternoon.

On the recruiting side, the Hokies have 19 commits in the class of 2023. As it always is, it’s a balancing act for Pry & Co. to mine the transfer portal for talent that fits Virginia Tech, add more high school talent to the class and fill the program’s needs. Pry said the scholarship numbers are “flexible” at the moment, and Tech isn’t afraid to have difficult conversations.

“You have to allow for flexibility,” Pry said. “It’s ever-changing. When I look at our high school class, I can identify a couple of areas where I say, ‘well, I could really use another player here. … I’d like to get another player here.’ And you say, ‘Well, if we don’t get a young guy out of high school, do you go to the portal and get a guy who has four years left?’ Does that kind of replace that area of need?”

“When you look at your scholarship grid and you see, ‘Here’s the seniors in the program, here’s the juniors, here’s sophomores, here’s the freshman, and you look at what you want each class to look like. You have the opportunity now because of the transfer portal where if you can’t get what you’re looking for at the high school level, you can go get a guy who’s still what I would consider to be developmental.”

When it comes to the portal, nothing is set in stone until the players arrive on campus. Once signing day rolls around on Dec. 21, the Hokies will have a better idea of where their scholarship numbers stand.

Pry wants to create competition, though. Grant Wells, a three-year collegiate starter, had a roller coaster of a season at quarterback for Tech in 2022. However, that doesn’t mean he’s locked in for next season as the starter. The same goes for other positions.

“I want to add competition to every room, including the quarterback,” Pry said. “I’m a big believer in that, and if somebody says, ‘Aw, coach, what are you doing that for? Why’d you recruit him?’ If you’re afraid of competition, you’re at the wrong place. Each and every offseason, these jobs are opened up. I don’t want anyone to feel like they’ve got a position just because they had it last year. And that’s including quarterback.”

Grant Wells could have some competition coming his way in the offseason. (Ivan Morozov)

As for the coaching staff, Pry doesn’t anticipate any changes. “I’ve got total trust in these guys, love these guys,” he said. But, naturally, he admitted that there is room for growth and improvement. Pry also said he felt like the Hokies tried to do too much too soon.

“I haven’t flinched on how talented I think [offensive coordinator] Tyler [Bowen] is, and that offensive staff,” Pry said. “I have a ton of confidence in them. Just like all of us, we have to dive into what didn’t work and how come. … I think who we thought we wanted to be initially, we struggled to be that unit. So then where do you go?

“I think I’m guilty on both sides of the ball, we probably just tried to do too much too soon. You try to get an idea of where your football team is, just football 101, knowledge base, fundamentals, techniques, all of these things that allow you to move forward. … I kind of got the cart in front of the horse. Certainly, a lesson I learned.”

Sticking with the structure in place is understandable. Look at 12-0 TCU or 8-4 South Carolina. Both experienced struggles between 2019 and 2021, but Sonny Dykes and Shane Beamer showed that it’s possible in this era to get a program back on the right track. Under Mike Norvell, Florida State is back in the conversation, too. It takes some time, more than anything else.

To Pry, it’s encouraging, and it provides hope in tough times that he can turn the Virginia Tech program around. Getting the right players is a start, and learning from mistakes is crucial.

“I wouldn’t have taken this job if I didn’t believe that we can flip the script and do this here,” Pry said. “I’ve got the utmost confidence in our staff and the administration. We’ve got one of the best fan bases in the country. This is an attractive place for recruits to come – for the right recruits. They’re looking for what Virginia Tech has to offer. So we’re going to put in the time, the investment. There’s the support. It’s going to take everybody, but undoubtedly, we can do this.”

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  1. “ Each and every offseason, these jobs are opened up. I don’t want anyone to feel like they’ve got a position just because they had it last year.” Sure doesn’t sound like he holds his staff to the same standard.

  2. I take what he says publicly with a grain of salt, leaders don’t say, publicly, what they’re gonna do. Fuente burned us, but that’s not the norm.

  6. I am glad we are looking for a QB, wells isn’t the answer. Doesn’t have the instinct for the position.

    2. Concur with cdogvt. Have to have a QB that can be a difference maker. Can/will Wells make the step forward, this off season, that was thought he would for this year? Unlikely. If CBR can’t find a difference maker for next year, believe it better to struggle yet another year with one of the youngsters (if he’s the future) than the up and down (mostly down) performance of this year.

  7. Fuente admitted in a recent podcast that one of his key mistakes was with some of his staff at VT. We shall see.,,

  8. Just curious for all the dolts who were calling for Hugh Freeze to be VT’s coach instead of Pry. Still in love with him knowing he would have been here for **1** season and then bolted for the SEC? Yeah, good call. Super cerebral, thorough, remove-your-emotion-from-the-situation thinking, for sure.

    You’re like my neighbors who are Ohio State fans calling for Ryan Day’s head now that he’s 1-2 against Michigan. ‘His job is on the line now!!!!’ Meantime, it’s ENTIRELY possibly OSU could be back in playoff contention after conference championship games and could eventually win the whole damn thing.

  9. Very disappointed in his comments about the OC and he didn’t mention special teams which where bad as well. He lost me in those comments about doing too much and his faith and trust in Bowen. Not good IMPHO. 120 plus in the country in offense is not trying to do too much.

    1. SC, I fully agree.. the OC and special teams were bad and did not improve over the season. Both positions need vast improvement. I hope CBP does recognize that and make sure improvement happens and not just give it lip-service. GO HOKIES!!!!!!

    2. Agree, Bowen has shown nothing that he’s got the ability to scheme an offense to the roster what so ever.

    3. I and my wallet are both disappointed. Really not terribly interested in what he has to say. He wins press conferences. Gotta do some winning on the field. Don’t want to fire Pry way too early for that but except for talking, I need to see something else which impresses me. Not to worry, with the contracts Whit wrote, they’ll have plenty of time to change my mind.

    4. Agreed. I found this statement disappointing “As for the coaching staff, Pry doesn’t anticipate any changes. “I’ve got total trust in these guys, love these guys,”

  11. “Just because you had a job last year, doesn’t mean that you will have one next year.” …..Unless you are the OC who did nothing to earn the faith or confidence of anyone (I guess except Pry?).

    Nothing this dude says matters to me much at this point. Recruits want to come here? Then why such a bad class?

    1. I am disappointed. The ACC is the worst P5 conference (the only one without a team in the top 10) and we finished dead last in the ACC. And yet Pry says “he does not anticipate any changes in the coaching staff”. That tells me 2 things: 1) apparently we don’t have any assistants that any other school is interested in and 2) Pry doesn’t apparently see much of anything wrong in finishing last in the worst P5 conference in the country.

      I don’t fault the players, but, far too many times this year we saw 5 yard plays called on 3rd and 8, We saw abhorrent to non existent clock management. We saw an offense that couldn’t get 3rd and 1 and a defense that couldn’t get off the field.

      Yet, all coaches will be retained.

      1. Coaches retained I expected, but “room for growth and improvement”. I would have liked to heard, “this season was unacceptable, the staff and I will be better”.

      2. Yeah.. Pry just loved finishing last. Get a grip, Jethro. The HC HAS to show confidence in his staff that’s been together less than 18 months total. If Pry dynamites his staff, how does THAT look to recruits. Horrible. Other head coaches would be licking their chops, telling recruits – ‘VT evidently can’t decide who it is or who it wants to coach there. Total turnstile, total upheaval. Do you really want that for your college football career?’ Of course Pry has internal doubts about Bowen and several others likely but **publicly**, it’s a different story. HC’s do the exact same thing when their QB’s have horrible games. Publicly they support them. Ever heard of PR 101?

        7. Hear what you’re saying but we finished last. There is no place further down than that. So not sure how much worse it gets. I hope things improve but I don’t understand this so seriously inexperienced staff in so many places. The performance of the staff this years really makes one question Pry’s coaching evaluations. Any of the staff out perform expectations? Seems like someone should have just by the odds instead pretty poor coaching all around. Cannot understand any confidence in Bowen.

    2. We don’t have a “bad class”. Star ratings mean less and less all the time. We need guys who are going to buy in to the culture and develop into good players. We’ve got a BUNCH of Fr who redshirted who CAN be very good. Big, long/tall and athletic

      2. I too remain very positive about Pry and his staff. The disaster he inherited was surely going to take time to simply clear away the wreckage. I can see a much better team on the field next season with another recruiting class on campus, some redshirts and some key portal additions.
        They know what they’re doing as a staff but simply needed to get their feet under them with very little talent to utilize.

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