Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry could feel good about getting the Hokies to a second straight bowl game last year. That was tempered by the feeling of how much more his team could've achieved, too.
That had Pry determined to build a “more mentally and physically tough" team for his fourth season.
Virginia Tech (6-7) went 0-5 in one-possession games last year, including two overtime road losses. The Hokies held a fourth-quarter lead of at least a touchdown in three of those, while they were tied in another
with 4 1/2 minutes left. While there unique factors to each individual loss, Pry saw a unifying theme that became a constant emphasis through the offseason.
“First of all, it was coaching decisions, making sure we’re making the right decisions, not just at the end of the game but throughout the game,” Pry said. “Then secondly, being the team that is more mentally and physically tough and prepared at the end of a game to close it out.”
Virginia Tech is picked to finish 11th in the 17-team Atlantic Coast Conference.
“Honestly in general, we feel like we have something to prove," Pry said, "and that's been the mindset since the end of last season.”
Pry had to rework his coaching staff after last season.
He hired Philip Montgomery as offensive coordinator after Tyler Bowen left to join the Ohio State staff. Montgomery had coached previously at Tulsa, Houston, Baylor and Auburn as well as with the UFL's Birmingham Stallions.
Pry hired Sam Siefkes as defensive coordinator after firing Chris Marve. Siefkes had coached with Minnesota and Arizona in the NFL since the 2021 season. Pry elevated Jarrett Ferguson to oversee the program's strength and conditioning, part of the effort to build a tougher squad.
“Whatever we’ve done," defensive lineman Kelvin Gilliam Jr. said, "the whole point of that is to see, when we get in those dog fights, when we get in those close moments, to show what we’re really about, what we really can do.”
Kyron Drones is back for for a third season as the starting quarterback. The 6-foot-2, 234-pound redshirt senior accounted for nearly 2,900 yards of total offense and 22 touchdowns in 2023.
But injuries cut last season short. He missed the Syracuse game on Nov. 2, then returned the next week against Clemson in what turned out to be his final appearance. Pry said Drones' mobility is a weapon that must be used carefully to avoid him taking too many hits, along with Drones sliding more often.
“He’s got to be more mindful," Pry said. “And we have to be more purposeful in what we call to make sure we get a full season out of him.”
Top tacklers Jaden Keller and Caleb Woodson are back at linebacker for the Hokies.
Keller — a 6-foot-3, 235-pound redshirt senior — led the team with 83 stops last year at linebacker. The 6-3, 230-pound Woodson is a junior who was second with 72 tackles but also had 7.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
Their return is a positive for a unit that lost 16 sacks with the NFL departure of Associated Press all-ACC first-team pick Antwaun Powell-Ryland up front.
The Hokies get a pair of quick tests against Southeastern Conference foes, first with a marquee opener against No. 13 South Carolina in Atlanta (Aug. 31) followed by a visit from Vanderbilt (Sept. 6). The ACC opener comes with a visit to N.C. State (Sept. 27), part of a road slate that includes trips to Georgia Tech (Oct. 11) and Florida State (Nov. 15) before closing at instate rival Virginia (Nov. 29).
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
