Josh Pate explains why he’s buying the Virginia Tech hype in 2024 & beyond

When Brent Pry was hired as the football coach at Virginia Tech, he had the task of turning around the program and bringing it back to relevance. With what he started with, it was going to be a lot easier said than done.

As the Hokies enter Year 3 of the Brent Pry-era in Blacksburg, there is a lot of hype surrounding the program as a ton of retainment from the 2023 team has them set up to be a dark horse in the ACC race in 2024. Add in some key transfers on both sides of the ball and it’s easy to see why the hype is real.

Off the field, things have been going very well in recruiting, especially with the Class of 2025. Pry knew that when he was hired, he needed to mend relationships within the state with the coaches and players to keep the talent in the Commonwealth. So far, so good with the rising senior class.

Josh Pate of 247Sports joined Kelly Gramlich and Eric Mac Lain on the Gramlich & Mac Lain podcast and said that he is buying the Virginia Tech hype and mainly because of what Pry has done that Justin Fuente and his staff failed to do during their tenure.

“I think their biggest struggle right now has been they have to reestablish what it means to recruit in the state of Virginia. When I was up there a month and a half ago, I was walking to Brent and he said, he obviously bleeds Virginia Tech. He knows that place. He said, when I was at Penn State, candidly, we knew if we wanted a kid from Virginia, we were going to get him and if we didn’t, it was going to be because Ohio State came in and got it. It wasn’t going to be because Virginia Tech put up much of a fight. (And) he said that hurt me. I was at another place and it hurt me because for whatever reason the previous staff didn’t emphasize it. He said we’ve had to do that and we also, we have a replenishing job to do.”

– Josh Pate

Currently in the Class of 2025, 10 of the 14 committed recruits are from Virginia and Pry said when he was hired that in-state recruiting was going to be a focal point of his and his staff and so far, they are having a ton of success. With each passing season, Pry and his staff are furthering themselves from the previous staff, which is not something that is not too hard to do.