As the 2024 college football season approaches, several teams around the country are making headlines. One of those teams is Virginia Tech, which is entering its third year as head coach under Brent Pry, who replaced Justin Fuente.
In his first two seasons in Blacksburg, Pry went from a 3-8 record to a 7-6 record, but what makes him stand out is how the team got to 7-6. After starting 1-3 in the non-conference schedule, the Hokies won five of their eight conference games to go 6-6 and become bowl eligible, then closed out the final two-thirds of the season with a 41-20 win over Tulane in the Military Bowl.
Between beating Virginia over Thanksgiving weekend to secure bowl eligibility and then winning the bowl a month later, Pry and his staff retained a number of players from the 2023 roster, including some very key players on offense and defense. All of this, along with some key additions in the transfer portal, has created some buzz around the program. While a lot of national media is taking notice, Manny Navarro, an ACC writer who covers Miami for The Athletic, doesn't entirely believe the Virginia Tech hype.
Navarro answered the question “Is the Virginia Tech hype real or overblown” in The Athletic's ACC Mailbag. Stuart Mandel had the Hokies ranked 25th in his preseason Top 25 poll, but Navarro wrote that he didn't. Well, for good reason. Navarro wrote in his article that Virginia Tech's toughest games are against Rutgers, Miami, Georgia Tech, Syracuse and Clemson, and we agree. He's also right that quarterback Kyron Draughns is a top-five quarterback in the conference and with his returning weapons, they'll be a team that can score runs this season.
The key for Navarro at Virginia Tech is the area Pry addressed in the transfer portal.
“The key for the Hokies will be how well they stop the run. In six games against FBS champions last season, the Hokies averaged 5.59 yards per carry (13th out of 14 ACC teams) and allowed 202 yards per game. This can be the difference between being a seven- or eight-win team with a quality quarterback and having a chance to win a conference title. Virginia Tech will improve, but I wouldn't bet on them winning the league.”
– Manny Navarro
Pry once again hit the transfer portal, acquiring defensive linemen Anias Peebles from Duke, Kelvin Gilliam from Oklahoma, Kemari Copeland from Iowa Western Community College and Curtis Perry from Alabama. With the return of Antwan Powell-Ryland and Josh Fuega, along with linebackers Keri Lawson and Sam Brumfield, who transferred from Middle Tennessee State, the Hokies have a better run defense on paper.
The average over/under win odds for Virginia Tech are between 7.5 and 8 depending on the betting site you use, and betting on the over on both is a good bet. Virginia Tech's ACC fate narrows down to three games against Miami, Syracuse and at home against Clemson. They need to win at least two of those games to make it to the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte. Whether they can win remains to be seen, but one way to make Navarro believe is to beat the Hurricanes on Sept. 27 in South Florida. We know that's easier said than done.
