Virginia Tech has fired head football coach Brent Pry, the school announced Sunday, naming offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery interim head coach for the 0-3 Hokies.
“We appreciate Coach Pry’s efforts and service since 2021. Unfortunately, the results on the field were not acceptable and a change in leadership is necessary,” Virginia Tech President Tim Sands said in the school’s announcement. “We will continue to fully support our team and student-athletes for the remaining games as we strive together to significantly improve the trajectory of our football program this season.”
Pry was hired in Nov. 2021 after serving on Penn State’s defensive staff for eight seasons, and after a 3-8 first year, he led the Hokies to a 7-6 record and a victory in the Military Bowl in 2023. However, the Hokies went 6-7 and lost in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl last year, and this year, Saturday’s 45-26 loss to Old Dominion dropped Tech to 0-3, including 0-2 at home, and they’ve been outscored 113-57.
He finishes 16-24 over three-plus seasons, including a 10-13 record in the ACC.
“I want to thank President Sands, (AD) Whit (Babcock), and the entire Virginia Tech community for giving me the opportunity to lead this proud football program,” Pry said in a statement released on social media shortly after his dismissal. “Coaching at Virginia Tech has been an incredible honor and a chapter of our lives we will always cherish.”
Montgomery, who ascends to the top spot ahead of Saturday’s home date with Wofford, was hired this season after being Auburn’s OC in 2023 and the OC for the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions in 2024. He has eight seasons of head coaching experience, with a 43-53 record and four bowl appearances at Tulsa from 2015-22.
Per Sands’ statement, a group led by Babcock and members of the school’s Board of Visitors will ‘work with university leadership to develop a financial, organizational and leadership plan that will rapidly position the Virginia Tech football program to be competitive with the best in the ACC.”