When Virginia Tech fired Brent Pry after a 45-26 Week 3 loss to Old Dominion in September, it didn't come as a surprise. A move needed to be made for the good of the future of the program in Blacksburg. One thing was for sure: this was a hire that the school needed to get right.
Virginia Tech formed a search committee to find the next coach, but little did anyone know what was about to happen. When Penn State fired James Franklin in mid-October, he quickly became the top candidate at Virginia Tech. That seemed rather unrealistic at the time, but a week before Thanksgiving, Franklin was hired as the next head coach in Blacksburg.