5 Potential Head Coach Candidates for the Virginia Tech Hokies

The college football season is just three weeks in, but head coaching changes have already been made. Virginia Tech has fired Brent Pry just three games into the season. Here are five potential head coach candidates for the Virginia Tech Hokies.

1. Jon Sumrall

Sumrall has had success in each of his two head coaching stops. He went 23-4 at Troy and is currently 12-5 at Tulane with a record of 3-0 this season so far. Before his time as a head coach, he played at Kentucky. He has also been an assistant at Kentucky, San Diego, Tulane, Troy and Ole Miss. 

His success for a head coach makes him qualified for all coach openings. He has done well in the south, which could make him a fit with Virginia Tech. They will need someone to come in and revamp things and Sumrall has done that before. He may be looking for a better job, but if Virginia Tech calls, he could be interested. 

2. Alex Golesh

Golesh is currently the head coach at USF where he has turned things around quickly. A program that hadn’t made a bowl game since 2018 and won four games in three seasons before Golesh arrived has now made two straight bowl games and looks well on their way to another one. Golesh is a good offensive mind who has spent time at Ohio tate, Northern Illinois, Oklahoma State, Toledo, Illinois, Iowa State, UCF and Tennessee. 

Like Sumrall, Golesh will likely be a candidate for a lot of jobs this offseason. He has had success in his first head coaching job and the turnaround was impressive, given how bad the program was before he became the head coach. Golesh can get the offense revamped at Virginia Tech, which could expedite the turnaround. 

3. Ryan Silverfeld

Silverfeld has done a good job of making Memphis a constant threat in the American Conference over his five seasons as head coach. He has a 45-21 overall record with two seasons in which he won double-digit games. Silverfeld has made plenty of stops, which include time in the NFL and in college. 

While Virginia Tech hired a former Memphis head coach in Justin Fuente, but Silverfeld can be judged on his own success. His many stops have helped him understand offense well. With Virginia Tech’s resources, Silverfeld could jump-start the program. It would be a change as Brent Pry was a defensive-minded head coach. 

4. Jamey Chadwell

Chadwell is currently the head coach at Liberty, but he also had success as the head coach of Coastal Carolina. He has a unique offense that has also been built from his stops at Charleston Southern, Delta State, North Greenville and East Tennessee State. With a 61-29 record at his two Division I stops, Chadwell is a proven head coach.

While Liberty hasn’t played well this season, with a 1-2 record, Chadwell is a good bet to figure it out. His offensive ingenuity could help Virginia Tech get the most out of their roster. He continues to move up the coaching ranks on the East Coast and Virginia Tech could be his next stop. 

5. Bob Chesney

 Curt Cignetti left James Madison for the Indiana job before the 2024 season and Chesney picked things up right where they left off. He has gone 10-5 at James Madison so far and has a great record across multiple levels of college football. His ability to coach offense makes him an enticing candidate.

Chesney has proven that he can replace talent quickly during his time at JMU. That could be used at Virginia Tech and so too could his offensive expertise. His success at different stops should give some confidence to decision-makers to consider him for the job. Chesney will likely get a bigger job in the next year or two, even if it isn’t with the Hokies. 

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