Brent Pry describes how facing South Carolina in season opener changes summer for Virginia Tech

Sometimes, having a quality Week 1 opponent can bring a little extra juice to an offseason. Virginia Tech will open the 2025 season against South Carolina, hoping to start the year off 1-0. Head coach Brent Pry could certainly use the win as he enters an important season in Blacksburg.

After the first day of preseason camp, Pry admitted the energy was high coming off the summer. When asked if South Carolina being first up on the schedule had anything to do with it, his initial answer was yes. However, Pry knows there are bigger picture reasons behind it, believing the team wants to prove something moving forward.

“I think more than anything, these guys have a chip on their shoulder,” Pry said. “They’re excited about how close they are, they’re excited about the summer they’ve had, and they feel like they have something to prove.”

Virginia Tech did not close out last season well, losing four of five games. The Duke’s Mayo Bowl defeat to Minnesota put them under .500 for an overall tally of 6-7. It’s now two out of the three campaigns Pry has been in charge of that the Hokies finish with a losing record.

Winning ways are certainly needed throughout the program. You have to go back to 2019 to find Virginia Tech’s last eight-win year and 2016 for double digits. The latter stages of Frank Beamer and everyone after him have yet to find a real groove.

ACC Network’s Roddy Jones put it perfectly when discussing the South Carolina-Virginia Tech game. Nobody out there needs a win more than Pry, maybe removing some of the pressure off his shoulders for taking down a big-time SEC team.

“I don’t think there’s a person on this Earth that needs or could use a win Week 1 more than Brent Pry,” Jones said via ACC Network. “He wins that game and I think there will be a collective deep breath, collective sigh for Virginia Tech. Because there’s a lot of consternation now around that program. Imagine the pressure on the Vanderbilt game if he loses to South Carolina Week 1.”

Jones also pointed out the kickoff time for the South Carolina game. Nationally televised on Sunday, Aug. 31. Mercedes-Benz Stadium will play host with the entire country watching, starting at 3:30 p.m. ET. Almost nothing else in the sports world will be going on as eyeballs will be on South Carolina-Virginia Tech.