CONGRATULATIONS – Virginia Tech’s Brent Pry Named Coach of the Year in Triumphant Turnaround Season
In a raucous, orange-and-maroon-flooded ballroom at the College Football Awards in Atlanta, Brent Pry stood beneath a cascade of confetti, his usually composed demeanor struggling to contain the magnitude of the moment. After two years of building, doubting, and dogged dedication, Pry had done what few believed possible—he led Virginia Tech to a stunning ACC Championship and earned the title of National Coach of the Year.
The Hokies’ 2025 season was nothing short of cinematic. Coming off a 6–7 finish the previous year, expectations were modest. Pundits ranked them in the bottom half of the ACC, citing an inexperienced offensive line and a question mark at quarterback. But Brent Pry saw what others couldn’t: a hungry locker room, a maturing defense, and a freshman class that was quietly ferocious. Most of all, he had belief—in his staff, in his players, and in the relentless grind that had shaped him since his days as a graduate assistant.
The season opener in Lane Stadium set the tone. Under the weight of a humid Blacksburg night and 66,000 stomping fans, Virginia Tech upset then-No. 15 Penn State—Pry’s alma mater—in a 27-24 thriller. It wasn’t just a win. It was a declaration.
By midseason, the Hokies had surged into the Top 10, riding the legs of sophomore running back Jalen Westbrook—who would finish with over 1,600 yards—and the arm of junior QB Malik Henderson, a transfer who had been written off by two other programs. Under Pry’s steady hand, the team thrived. The defense, a bruising, ball-hawking unit dubbed the “Hokie Hammerheads,” led the nation in third-down stops and turnovers forced. No opponent finished a game against them without bruises—physical or reputational.
The defining moment came in early November, when Tech traveled to Tallahassee to face undefeated Florida State. Down 17 in the third quarter, Pry gathered his team at halftime, his voice calm but electric.
“Legacy is not built in comfort. It’s built in fire,” he told them.
The Hokies stormed back, winning 35–31 on a last-second goal-line stand that sent the sideline—and social media—into a frenzy. That win paved the way to the ACC Championship Game, where Tech dismantled North Carolina 38–10, hoisting their first conference trophy since 2010.
Now, on stage in Atlanta, the magnitude of the journey pulsed in every camera flash. The Coach of the Year trophy gleamed in his hands, but it wasn’t just about him. Pry thanked his staff, the fans, and especially his players, calling them “the most relentless group of men I’ve ever had the honor to lead.”
He looked out over the crowd, then into the cameras.
“This award isn’t for me,” he said, voice thick. “It’s for Hokie Nation. We’re back.”
And in that moment, no one doubted him.
