It was an offseason of change for Virginia Tech. Some of it the Hokies expected, others not so much.
After the regular season ended, head coach Brent Pry fired defensive coordinator Chris Marve, offensive line coach Ron Crook and strength coach Dwight Galt IV. All three coaches needed to go and were liabilities. In Marve’s case, he was nowhere close to being ready to be a Power 4 coordinator. Crook shouldn’t have been on anyone’s staff and Galt wasn’t the right fit.
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However, in early February, Pry was thrown for a loop when offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen revealed he was bolting to Ohio State to be the new offensive line coach. While unexpected, the news was not met with much resistance from anyone. Bowen was Virginia Tech’s best coordinator, but that’s not really saying much. He squandered a lot of skill position talent during his time in Blacksburg, particularly at wide receiver.
To replace these coaches, Pry hired Sam Siefkes (defensive coordinator), Matt Moore (offensive line coach), Philip Montgomery (offensive coordinator) and Jarrett Ferguson (strength and conditioning). Moore, Montgomery and Ferguson are clear upgrades. Moore doesn’t even need to show up to be an improvement over Crook. Moore is an outstanding recruiter and is known for his ability to develop offensive talent.
Ferguson, the former Hokie fullback, was an easy choice. Montgomery, a former offensive coordinator at Baylor and Auburn and head coach at Tulsa, is a clear improvement over Bowen. Montgomery has a good track record with quarterbacks. He should be an excellent voice for quarterback Kyron Drones.
The jury is out on Siefkes. Here’s the thing: he could end up being the best of them all. There are unknowns with the young former NFL linebacker coach. Every NFL coach he’s worked for has spoken highly of Siefkes and believes he’s a genius. Siefkes is only 33 and has been a defensive coordinator at Wisconsin-Platteville and Wofford before spending the past four seasons in the NFL.
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Pry recently spoke about his new coordinator hires, specifically Siefkes.
“I’m very pleased with Phil and Sam,” Pry said via Daniel Hager of On3. “Those guys have done a tremendous job because it’s not easy to come in new. Both of those guys came in with some fresh ideas and some structure changes with a staff that was pretty much already in place. You’ve got to coach the coaches before you can even dive into the players.”
Montgomery’s job was even tougher, considering he wasn’t hired until February. It helps that he’s a veteran coach who has seen everything.
The 2025 season is a make-or-break year for Pry and athletic director Whit Babcock. There are fewer expectations for the Hokies after last season’s disappointing 6-6 regular season. Perhaps Virginia Tech’s new coaches prove to be the advantage the Hokies need to turn things around.
