Brent Pry is the latest college football coach to find himself squarely on the hot seat, as Virginia Tech fell to 0-3 on the season with a dismal performance at home in a 45-26 loss to Old Dominion on Saturday night.
After giving up 34 unanswered points in the second half to Vanderbilt in a 44-20 loss in Week 2, the Hokies fell behind 28-0 in the first half to make it a 62-0 run over four quarters, putting Pry’s job in serious jeopardy. Pry came into this season with some pressure to show signs of progress after a second straight 6-6 record in the regular season in 2024.
The loss to ODU now serves as a new rock bottom for the Hokies under Pry. The 0-3 start is the worst for a Virginia Tech team since 1987, which was the first season with legendary coach Frank Beamer at the helm. The Hokies have never been ranked in the three-plus years of Pry’s tenure as coach. Pry’s predecessor, Justin Fuente, went 43-31 at Virginia Tech, but was fired after going 10-11 in his final two seasons at the helm.
Pry is now 16-24 since taking over at Virginia Tech and may not be in Blacksburg too much longer.
What is Brent Pry’s contract buyout at Virginia Tech?
Pry signed a six-year, $27.5 million contract in 2021 that runs through 2027. His base salary for this year is $4.75 million, with a raise pushing him to $5 million per year for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
The buyout provision in Pry’s contract states that he’s owed 70% of the base salary remaining on his contract, except for the final year of his deal, where Virginia Tech would only owe him 50% of his base salary. That means if he were to be fired after the 2025 season, Virginia Tech would owe him $6 million — $3.5 million for 2026 and $2.5 million for 2027 — which they would pay in equal monthly installments through the end of 2027.
Virginia Tech plays Wofford next week in their final nonconference game before beginning its ACC schedule with a trip to Raleigh to face NC State. What remains to be seen is what kind of turnaround would be enough to get Pry to 2026 as the Hokies coach — or if he’ll even be afforded the opportunity to try and right the ship after Saturday’s disaster.
