I hate how true this is. He does that part of the job phenomenally well! Unfortunately, it's not the most important part and the rest hasn't translated likewise (yet). I'll at least give him credit for firing his failed protege experiment. That couldn't have been an easy decision. Did it come a little too late? Maybe. Was he already in a compromising position for having hired not one but two green coordinators off the bat? Yes. Will he continue to coach after VT and will he apply the lessons learned here when he does? Probably. I think he's reflective enough and doesn't have too much of an ego to admit when and where he messed up. It's just a shame that VT was his learning and growing opportunity and he couldn't be a good coach here. I think he's too far behind the ball to make it up this year but I do believe he has the capacity to be a successful coach in the right situation. I think there's a fair to reasonable chance he goes on to be a good coach elsewhere while VT is mired in mediocrity.
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As a program, we are going to be someone's learning opportunity or their opportunity for redemption. We're not going to get a 5 star coach with where our program and conference is positioned.
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It is too early to say he couldn't be a good coach here. He first had to float the ship after Fuente sunk it. This will be the year that figures out if he can turn it around.
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I think where we differ (and I'm making assumptions about you here) is that I don't see a path to Pry not getting canned after this season.
He first had to float the ship after Fuente sunk it
Fair. Also, not easy to do. I'm not sure he's done it, tbh. He did inherit an absolute dumpster fire, though. It would be unfair to say he hasn't made any improvements at all but I'm not convinced the ship is back to floating. At the very least, he's stopped taking on water.
This will be the year that figures out if he can turn it around
Ignoring our apparent slight disagreement on the status of said ship in this analogy, I think I agree that this is probably the year to prove himself. I just do not have any faith that he will deliver the results that will be needed to keep him employed beyond this season.
It is too early to say he couldn't be a good coach here.
I think it's too early to say he couldn't be a good coach. But I do think it's too late for him to prove that he can be a good coach here. He skuttled his chances on day one when he hired Tyler Bowen and Chris Marve, effectively putting all three of the top top three most important jobs in the hands of very green coaches with very limited practical experience in their respective roles. It was a gamble that didn't pay off. Now he's going into a prove-it year with brand new coaches on both sides of the ball, a less talented team than the one he had last year, and a tougher schedule to get wins against. I'm not saying that he's definitely not going to win enough games to keep his job but I am saying that I think there is a high likelihood he fails to win enough games to keep his job.
Could Pry be a good coach? I think there's potential there. He's shown that he can recognize and take action on mistakes that he's made. Even if a little too slowly (though, with experience, those decisions will be made more quickly). I just don't think it's going to happen in Blacksburg. I'll be very surprised if he wins more than 5 games. I'll be even more surprised if, after a losing season, he gets to keep his job. I'd say he's got about a 5% chance at being the HC for the VT football team in 2026.
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I think we are floating again and that is due entirely to who Pry is. I will say one thing that puts Pry head and shoulder above Fuente. He has never lost the locker room. Even in our losses the team is still trying, they aren't head hanging or checked out. That wasn't the case with Fuente's teams.
I think his decision to cut coaches might have come a year late. It might be too late to save his job, but that is can the big hire on Offensive and Offensive lines get it turned around. I honestly have no clue as to the defensive NFL hire.
He needs to have a winning season (possibly in season) to keep his job. Anything less and he is gone.
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I think we are floating again and that is due entirely to who Pry is. I will say one thing that puts Pry head and shoulder above Fuente. He has never lost the locker room. Even in our losses the team is still trying, they aren't head hanging or checked out. That wasn't the case with Fuente's teams.
I'll buy it
I think his decision to cut coaches might have come a year late. It might be too late to save his job, but that is can the big hire on Offensive and Offensive lines get it turned around. I honestly have no clue as to the defensive NFL hire.
it's really anybody's guess at this point. We see new coaches come in and have immediate impacts somewhere every year. It's just never happened at Tech (or, at least, not in a good way)
He needs to have a winning season (possibly in season) to keep his job. Anything less and he is gone.
This is the one part you and I CLEARLY agree on 100%. I just think my cynical view of VT athletics colors it for me. I don't think Pry will win enough to keep his job. Therefore, I don't think Pry is going to be a good coach here.
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is that I don't see a path to Pry not getting canned after this season.
Is there a different Athletic Director at VT that I don't know about?
Whit Babcock watched Fuente run the ship into the ground and then keep rowing the boat in the same direction for several seasons before he got rid of him. If Pry wins 6 games this year, I can very easily see a world where he sticks around. "our talent floor is higher" "once we get players fit for these schemes, we can do some damage"
For the record, I would likely not be a fan of that move, but it would be 100% on brand with the VT athletics experience for the last 10 years.
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it's a fair point - but I think Whit is feeling pressure - I don't think he deserves to hire a 3rd coach but if Pry doesn't win more than 5 games this year I think Whit has to make a change or risk losing his job.
Spoiler - I don't think Pry is going to win more than 5 games.
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I think canning Marve and OL Coach etc bought him 2 years.
We obviously want to see improvement this year. If it's not better this year he is done after next if they don't contend for the ACCCG or at least be in serious contention for it. Win 8 this year people will be content for another year. 8 or better next year he secures a couple more years. 2 more.
We go seven wins or worse this year he is definitely on the hot seat next year.
I want him to succeed here though. He has the culture down pat. Just need the on field execution.
And we were a handful of some boneheaded calls coaching errors from having three more wins last year. Frustrating to say the least.
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If Pry goes 5-7, he's gone. If he loses to ODU and does not make the ACC Championship game, he is gone. Period. 6-6 with the wrong loses, and he's likely gone. He is likely starting 0-2 this year. So let's see if he can rally. Everyone on this board knows he's not winning 9, 10 games with this roster.
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If he beats Vandy, ODU, Wofford, Cal, UVA and Nc State his seat should be red fucking hot. If that's the bullshit we get in year 4- no good wins- we should all demand change. SMU joined this league and promptly is the second best team in the league. Pry is running out of excuses.
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yeah agree. That's basically what I said. If he doesn't win at least 7 his seat is gonna be hot. If he has no statement wins in those seven its gonna hard to see him not be gone after the 26 season unless he has some miracle year.
BL he has this year and next to prove something.
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I think he has to win 8 this season to insure his return.
There is no excuse for his in game management/tactical decisions...he has been beyond awful. His only hope there is to hand them to someone much better than he is...presumably his coordinators. If Pry insists on doing it, he's one screwup from gone.
However, I'm less skeptical on the roster than you are. I asked EGW how much the discussions with King, Arians, and Neander had on roster/budget decisions and he said "a lot". So we'll see how that pans out.
The talent acquisition model has changed dramatically since Pry was hired and if something other than the new coaches save his job, it will be this. Pry's HS recruiting has been abysmal, but his hit rate on portal acquisitions from '22-'24 has been pretty good. So incoming transfers (a whopping 30) outnumbering HS recruits 3:2 is probably a very good thing. How long will it take them to come together? That may determine what his job is in 2026.
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"The talent acquisition model has changed dramatically since Pry was hired"- Not really. There are still a finite number of true 4 and 5 star players and they still go to the same fucking 6-7 schools. The portal is no different than HS recruiting. Mansoor Delane is better than some CB transfer from Temple. Thus he went to one of those 6-7 fucking same schools. By hook/Crook/ Portal/High School/Retention of his pro players- Pry needs to get more 4-5 star type talent in here if he wants to win. He has to kiss the same runners asses, he has to sell the same bullshit about facilities, etc that Beamer had to do. The players still pick you at this level- there is no draft, so its the same salespitch nonsense. Penn State still cleans our clock in the portal and HS recruiting. Nothing has changed. And in terms of 8 wins- that would mean he beats 2 of USCe, Miami, FSU, Louisville. Good luck.
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I think Miami and FSU are the most likely of that bunch. Miami screws up all the time, last year they had at least three wins handed to them by refs. Not going to happen this year.
FSU is vulnerable. Coach could be fired by the time we play them.
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Miami is 8-2 against VT in the last 10 games. We don't beat them anymore. They finally have coaches that know they can just out-talent us and not play into our strengths. We have beaten FSU 3 times since 1976. This team is not the team to beat those trends. 2 new coordinators and a net loss of talent in the portal. I don't see either happening. We've had actually really good teams lose to FSU.
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7-6 I think is the absolute bare minimum for Pry to keep his job based on the skuttle butt around the athletic department that I hear working in the CRC.
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I'm not certain about that - I think Whit needs his football coach to post a winning season and if Pry doesn't I think he's out. His leash isn't as long as Fuente's - I think Whit wanted to fire Fuente after 2020 but, "optics" - I don't think he's going to wait a couple more years just because Pry made some coaching changes - Win now or GTFO. Whit has to take that approach or risk losing his own job.
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The "optics" was every salary member of the athletics department that wasn't let go took an across the board salary cut that took years to get restored. The part timers were simply let go. You simply can't then pay somebody over 10 million to go away in that year.
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I'm at the point where if we do a full reset (again), we need two head coaches - A football, X's and O's guy and a recruiting, talk to the media, fundraising guy.
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This is where the big schools have been lining up bigger names to be the General Manager for the latter role you mention. Also seeing so much more focus on fundraising when it comes to athletic director hires the last few years.
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Believe it or not, ESPN and Fox are actually ripping off the SEC and B1G if we are talking true pro sports. CFB on TV is more popular than MLB and the NBA. Once the players realize this and now that the pay for play flood gates are opened, they are going to form a union, and collectively bargain with schools and TV partners on salary. This makes the SEC and B1G meaningless basically as conferences unless they break off and negotiate on behalf of the players. Why would the players agree to that? They wouldn't.
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I saw the presser clips posted across the VT Athletics socials and... just didn't engage with them at all. I don't really care what they say. I care what they show. What they prepare. What they do.
If they want to treat me like a customer then they have to earn my business. If they want to treat me like an investor then I need to see a return on my investment. They commoditized and fiscalized the fans so... I'm holding up my end of the exchange now.
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Comments
I was impressed with the responses by the players, but Kelvin in particular came across very well, I thought.
Not as good as the Big 12 as they've moved on from football and have engaged in midget throwing, atleast in waco.
The fact that this has been up for 4 days and has 2 comments really sums up perfectly where we are as a program/fan base
I, for one, have stopped listening to the sound bites and have started living in Missouri. Show Me.
but Pry has only one skill at the P4 level, so you might as well listen to his press conferences cause it's where he shines
I hate how true this is. He does that part of the job phenomenally well! Unfortunately, it's not the most important part and the rest hasn't translated likewise (yet). I'll at least give him credit for firing his failed protege experiment. That couldn't have been an easy decision. Did it come a little too late? Maybe. Was he already in a compromising position for having hired not one but two green coordinators off the bat? Yes. Will he continue to coach after VT and will he apply the lessons learned here when he does? Probably. I think he's reflective enough and doesn't have too much of an ego to admit when and where he messed up. It's just a shame that VT was his learning and growing opportunity and he couldn't be a good coach here. I think he's too far behind the ball to make it up this year but I do believe he has the capacity to be a successful coach in the right situation. I think there's a fair to reasonable chance he goes on to be a good coach elsewhere while VT is mired in mediocrity.
As a program, we are going to be someone's learning opportunity or their opportunity for redemption. We're not going to get a 5 star coach with where our program and conference is positioned.
It is too early to say he couldn't be a good coach here. He first had to float the ship after Fuente sunk it. This will be the year that figures out if he can turn it around.
I largely agree with your point here
I think where we differ (and I'm making assumptions about you here) is that I don't see a path to Pry not getting canned after this season.
Fair. Also, not easy to do. I'm not sure he's done it, tbh. He did inherit an absolute dumpster fire, though. It would be unfair to say he hasn't made any improvements at all but I'm not convinced the ship is back to floating. At the very least, he's stopped taking on water.
Ignoring our apparent slight disagreement on the status of said ship in this analogy, I think I agree that this is probably the year to prove himself. I just do not have any faith that he will deliver the results that will be needed to keep him employed beyond this season.
I think it's too early to say he couldn't be a good coach. But I do think it's too late for him to prove that he can be a good coach here. He skuttled his chances on day one when he hired Tyler Bowen and Chris Marve, effectively putting all three of the top top three most important jobs in the hands of very green coaches with very limited practical experience in their respective roles. It was a gamble that didn't pay off. Now he's going into a prove-it year with brand new coaches on both sides of the ball, a less talented team than the one he had last year, and a tougher schedule to get wins against. I'm not saying that he's definitely not going to win enough games to keep his job but I am saying that I think there is a high likelihood he fails to win enough games to keep his job.
Could Pry be a good coach? I think there's potential there. He's shown that he can recognize and take action on mistakes that he's made. Even if a little too slowly (though, with experience, those decisions will be made more quickly). I just don't think it's going to happen in Blacksburg. I'll be very surprised if he wins more than 5 games. I'll be even more surprised if, after a losing season, he gets to keep his job. I'd say he's got about a 5% chance at being the HC for the VT football team in 2026.
I think we are floating again and that is due entirely to who Pry is. I will say one thing that puts Pry head and shoulder above Fuente. He has never lost the locker room. Even in our losses the team is still trying, they aren't head hanging or checked out. That wasn't the case with Fuente's teams.
I think his decision to cut coaches might have come a year late. It might be too late to save his job, but that is can the big hire on Offensive and Offensive lines get it turned around. I honestly have no clue as to the defensive NFL hire.
He needs to have a winning season (possibly in season) to keep his job. Anything less and he is gone.
I'll buy it
it's really anybody's guess at this point. We see new coaches come in and have immediate impacts somewhere every year. It's just never happened at Tech (or, at least, not in a good way)
This is the one part you and I CLEARLY agree on 100%. I just think my cynical view of VT athletics colors it for me. I don't think Pry will win enough to keep his job. Therefore, I don't think Pry is going to be a good coach here.
Is there a different Athletic Director at VT that I don't know about?
Whit Babcock watched Fuente run the ship into the ground and then keep rowing the boat in the same direction for several seasons before he got rid of him. If Pry wins 6 games this year, I can very easily see a world where he sticks around. "our talent floor is higher" "once we get players fit for these schemes, we can do some damage"
For the record, I would likely not be a fan of that move, but it would be 100% on brand with the VT athletics experience for the last 10 years.
it's a fair point - but I think Whit is feeling pressure - I don't think he deserves to hire a 3rd coach but if Pry doesn't win more than 5 games this year I think Whit has to make a change or risk losing his job.
Spoiler - I don't think Pry is going to win more than 5 games.
I think canning Marve and OL Coach etc bought him 2 years.
We obviously want to see improvement this year. If it's not better this year he is done after next if they don't contend for the ACCCG or at least be in serious contention for it. Win 8 this year people will be content for another year. 8 or better next year he secures a couple more years. 2 more.
We go seven wins or worse this year he is definitely on the hot seat next year.
I want him to succeed here though. He has the culture down pat. Just need the on field execution.
And we were a handful of some boneheaded calls coaching errors from having three more wins last year. Frustrating to say the least.
If Pry goes 5-7, he's gone. If he loses to ODU and does not make the ACC Championship game, he is gone. Period. 6-6 with the wrong loses, and he's likely gone. He is likely starting 0-2 this year. So let's see if he can rally. Everyone on this board knows he's not winning 9, 10 games with this roster.
Sure it depends on who he loses too.
He needs to win the ones we should win. Split Vandy and USC at a minimum.
If he beats Vandy, ODU, Wofford, Cal, UVA and Nc State his seat should be red fucking hot. If that's the bullshit we get in year 4- no good wins- we should all demand change. SMU joined this league and promptly is the second best team in the league. Pry is running out of excuses.
yeah agree. That's basically what I said. If he doesn't win at least 7 his seat is gonna be hot. If he has no statement wins in those seven its gonna hard to see him not be gone after the 26 season unless he has some miracle year.
BL he has this year and next to prove something.
I think he has to win 8 this season to insure his return.
There is no excuse for his in game management/tactical decisions...he has been beyond awful. His only hope there is to hand them to someone much better than he is...presumably his coordinators. If Pry insists on doing it, he's one screwup from gone.
However, I'm less skeptical on the roster than you are. I asked EGW how much the discussions with King, Arians, and Neander had on roster/budget decisions and he said "a lot". So we'll see how that pans out.
The talent acquisition model has changed dramatically since Pry was hired and if something other than the new coaches save his job, it will be this. Pry's HS recruiting has been abysmal, but his hit rate on portal acquisitions from '22-'24 has been pretty good. So incoming transfers (a whopping 30) outnumbering HS recruits 3:2 is probably a very good thing. How long will it take them to come together? That may determine what his job is in 2026.
"The talent acquisition model has changed dramatically since Pry was hired"- Not really. There are still a finite number of true 4 and 5 star players and they still go to the same fucking 6-7 schools. The portal is no different than HS recruiting. Mansoor Delane is better than some CB transfer from Temple. Thus he went to one of those 6-7 fucking same schools. By hook/Crook/ Portal/High School/Retention of his pro players- Pry needs to get more 4-5 star type talent in here if he wants to win. He has to kiss the same runners asses, he has to sell the same bullshit about facilities, etc that Beamer had to do. The players still pick you at this level- there is no draft, so its the same salespitch nonsense. Penn State still cleans our clock in the portal and HS recruiting. Nothing has changed. And in terms of 8 wins- that would mean he beats 2 of USCe, Miami, FSU, Louisville. Good luck.
I think Miami and FSU are the most likely of that bunch. Miami screws up all the time, last year they had at least three wins handed to them by refs. Not going to happen this year.
FSU is vulnerable. Coach could be fired by the time we play them.
Miami is 8-2 against VT in the last 10 games. We don't beat them anymore. They finally have coaches that know they can just out-talent us and not play into our strengths. We have beaten FSU 3 times since 1976. This team is not the team to beat those trends. 2 new coordinators and a net loss of talent in the portal. I don't see either happening. We've had actually really good teams lose to FSU.
7-6 I think is the absolute bare minimum for Pry to keep his job based on the skuttle butt around the athletic department that I hear working in the CRC.
I'm not certain about that - I think Whit needs his football coach to post a winning season and if Pry doesn't I think he's out. His leash isn't as long as Fuente's - I think Whit wanted to fire Fuente after 2020 but, "optics" - I don't think he's going to wait a couple more years just because Pry made some coaching changes - Win now or GTFO. Whit has to take that approach or risk losing his own job.
The "optics" was every salary member of the athletics department that wasn't let go took an across the board salary cut that took years to get restored. The part timers were simply let go. You simply can't then pay somebody over 10 million to go away in that year.
Combine the best of Fuente and Pry and you have a component P4 football coach.
Disagree- neither could recruit me to a cold IPA.
I'm at the point where if we do a full reset (again), we need two head coaches - A football, X's and O's guy and a recruiting, talk to the media, fundraising guy.
This is where the big schools have been lining up bigger names to be the General Manager for the latter role you mention. Also seeing so much more focus on fundraising when it comes to athletic director hires the last few years.
Believe it or not, ESPN and Fox are actually ripping off the SEC and B1G if we are talking true pro sports. CFB on TV is more popular than MLB and the NBA. Once the players realize this and now that the pay for play flood gates are opened, they are going to form a union, and collectively bargain with schools and TV partners on salary. This makes the SEC and B1G meaningless basically as conferences unless they break off and negotiate on behalf of the players. Why would the players agree to that? They wouldn't.
I'm talking about a GM + a psuedo press secretary for the program combined into one. Let the actual head coach worry only about the games.
Me neither, but I hate IPAs. ;^)
Yep - they call it talking season for a reason.
I saw the presser clips posted across the VT Athletics socials and... just didn't engage with them at all. I don't really care what they say. I care what they show. What they prepare. What they do.
If they want to treat me like a customer then they have to earn my business. If they want to treat me like an investor then I need to see a return on my investment. They commoditized and fiscalized the fans so... I'm holding up my end of the exchange now.
My algo has been showing waayyyy less VT stuff than in past seasons.
Part of that might be because I'm off Reddit and I saw a lot of content on r/CFB, r/ACC, and r/VirginiaTech.
But it does seem less notable than before.