14 Coaching Candidates to Replace Brent Pry at Virginia Tech

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14 Coaching Candidates to Replace Brent Pry at Virginia Tech

Steven Lassan · Athlon Sports

Sun, Sep 14, 2025 ·

6 min read

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Virginia Tech fired head football coach Brent Pry on Sun day. Pry's dismissal comes after the Hokies were completely dominated by Old Dominion in a 45-26 loss on Saturday night. The defeat dropped Virginia Tech to 0-3 in 2025, including losses to South Carolina and Vanderbilt to start the year.

Pry finished his tenure in Blacksburg with a 16-24 record and had only one winning record (7-6 in 2023). Pry's buyout is reportedly $6 million.

Who could replace Pry at Virginia Tech? Here are a few names to watch in the search:

Candidates to Replace Brent Pry as Virginia Tech head coach

Shane Beamer, Head Coach, South CarolinaBeamer is a longshot here. However, his name will be mentioned with this opening considering his father's long track record of success at Virginia Tech. Also, Beamer played for the Hokies and later coached under his father at the school. Beamer is 31-23 since taking over at South Carolina in 2021.

Jason Candle, Head Coach, ToledoCandle was promoted to head coach at Toledo after Matt Campbell departed for Iowa State and has maintained the Rockets' place as one of the top programs in the MAC. Under Candle's watch, Toledo is 75-41 overall and has guided the program to eight bowl trips. Additionally, the Rockets have won two MAC titles and posted a pair of 11-win seasons (2017 and '23).

Jamey Chadwell, Head Coach, LibertyChadwell's stock has dipped just a bit after an 8-4 finish by Liberty in 2024 and a 1-2 start this year. However, Chadwell has won at every coaching stop in his career, including a 39-22 mark at Coastal Carolina (2017-22) and 35-14 at Charleston Southern (2013-16). He's 120-64 overall as a head coach.

Bob Chesney, Head Coach, James MadisonChesney's stock was on the rise entering 2025 with James Madison projected as the preseason favorite in the Sun Belt. The Dukes are 1-1 so far after a close loss to Louisville in Week 2 but remain one of the top Group of 5 teams so far. Chesney has won everywhere he's coached, including Salve Regina (23-9), Assumption (44-16), and Holy Cross (44-21) before coming to JMU. He guided the Dukes to a 9-4 record in '24 in his first season in charge.

Dave Clawson, Former Wake Forest CoachCould Virginia Tech lure Clawson out of retirement? From 2014-24, Clawson went 67-69 at Wake Forest - one of the toughest power conference jobs in college football - and guided the program to seven consecutive bowl trips. Even though the Demon Deacons went 8-16 in Clawson's final two years, he can still get the most out of a roster and maximize the talent in Blacksburg.

Pat Fitzgerald, Former Northwestern CoachWith Fitzgerald and Northwestern settling a lawsuit related to his dismissal at the school prior to the 2023 season, it's safe to assume he will pop up in the rumor mill for openings. During his tenure with the Wildcats, Fitzgerald went 110-101 and guided the program to 10 bowl appearances. Northwestern also had three double-digit win seasons under his direction.

Alex Golesh, Head Coach, South FloridaGolesh is likely to be one of the top coaches in demand this cycle. With wins over Boise State and Florida, the Bulls are off to a 2-1 start and in great shape to contend for a spot in the College Football Playoff as the top team from the Group of 5. After working his way up through the ranks as a rising star offensive assistant at Toledo, Illinois, Iowa State, UCF, and Tennessee, Golesh took over at South Florida in '23. The Bulls showed immediate improvement with back-to-back 7-6 campaigns. Counting his '25 record, USF is 16-13 overall under Golesh.

Charles Huff, Head Coach, Southern MissThe 2025 season marks Huff's first year in charge at Southern Miss following a successful stint at Marshall (2021-24). The Thundering Herd made a bowl in all four years of Huff's tenure, including a 10-win campaign and Sun Belt title in '24. Overall, Huff is 34-21 as a head coach. The Maryland native also spent time as an assistant at Penn State, Vanderbilt, and Alabama prior to taking over at Marshall.

Andy Kotelnicki, Offensive Coordinator, Penn StateKotelnicki is one of college football's rising stars in the coordinator ranks. After working at Wisconsin-Whitewater as the play-caller from 2013-14, Kotelnicki followed coach Lance Leipold to the FBS level with a stint at Buffalo (2015-20) and Kansas (2021-23) before taking over as Penn State's offensive coordinator last year. The Nittany Lions scored 33.1 points a game in '24 and are averaging 44 through three contests this season.

Jeff Monken, Head Coach, ArmyMonken continues to pile up wins at Army with a 83-58 record since 2014. Will a power conference team be able to lure him away from West Point? Monken is 121-74 overall as a head coach counting a previous stint at Georgia Southern (2010-13).

Dan Mullen, Head Coach, UNLVMullen returned to the sidelines in 2025 after three seasons away following his dismissal at Florida in the '21 campaign. The Rebels are off to a strong start (3-0) despite having a completely revamped roster. Mullen went 34-15 at Florida (2018-21) and guided Mississippi State to a 69-46 mark from 2009-17.

Glenn Schumann, Defensive Coordinator, GeorgiaSchumann has worked alongside coach Kirby Smart at Georgia since 2016, working his way from defensive assistant to coordinator. Under Schumann's watch, the Bulldogs have consistently ranked among the SEC's best on defense. The Georgia native has no previous experience as a head coach, but with stints under Smart and Nick Saban (as an off-field assistant), he's learned from two of the best in college football.

Jon Sumrall, Head Coach, Tulane
Sumrall's name is going to come up for every opening at the power conference level this season, so let's mention him in this space as well. While Sumrall is arguably the No. 1 coach on the rise in college football, SEC openings are likely to be more tempting for the Alabama native - if he wants to move on from Tulane after the '25 season.

Will Stein, Offensive Coordinator, OregonStein has no experience as a head coach, but the Kentucky native is a rising star in the coordinator ranks. The former Louisville quarterback started his collegiate coaching career at UTSA in 2020 before taking over the play-calling duties with the Ducks in '23. Under Stein's watch, Oregon has finished in the top 20 nationally in scoring offense every year, including a No. 2 finish in '23 (44.2 points a game).

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Sep 14, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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