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Aug 31, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Brent Pry watches from the sideline against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Phil Steele Ranks Virginia Tech's 2025 Schedule As One Of The Easiest In The ACC

Originally posted on Virginia Tech Hokies on SI
By Jackson Caudell | Last updated Jul 1, 2025 5:18 PM ET

The 2025 College Football Season is inching closer and closer and for Virginia Tech, the vibes are a little different this summer compared to last summer.

Virginia Tech seemed like a program that was trending up under Pry. They finished the 2023 season strong and were returning a ton of starters from that team and seemingly had a favorable schedule in front of them. They were talked about as the dark horse to win the ACC and make the college football playoff, but it wasn't long before that was proven to be false.

The Hokies started the season with an upset loss to Vanderbilt, lost to Rutgers a few weeks later, and had the controversial loss to Miami to drop them to 2-3. After rallying to win three straight to get to 5-3 and still have a shot at the ACC Championship, the Hokies collapsed, losing four of their last five, including the bowl game to Minnesota last Friday. Not only was this season very disappointing, but the Hokies are losing most of their contributors from this team to the transfer portal or the draft. RB Bhayshul Tuten, OL Xavier Chaplin, and Braelin Moore, and several members of the secondary. They have worked to fill those holes in the portal, and quarterback Kyron Drones is coming back, but there is not as much optimism heading into the 2025 season compared to a year ago.

Given all of that, Virginia Tech has one of the easiest schedules in the ACC, according to Phil Steele. Steele ranked the Hokies' schedule as the 11th hardest in the ACC, or, in another view, the 7th easiest in the ACC. Yes, the Hokies open the season against South Carolina in Atlanta and also have Miami and Louisville on the schedule, but they avoid Clemson and SMU. If things break the right way for the Hokies, they could take advantage of the schedule.

With so many unknowns with the team this year, from the new coordinators to a new looking roster, the outcomes for this season could be very high or very low. CBS Sports analyst Chip Patterson outlined the best and worst-case scenarios for the Hokies this season:

"Best case 9-3: Kyron Drones puts together his best season yet, and the hire of new offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery unlocks that extra step the Hokies offense needed to get over the hump. Virginia Tech's 0-5 record in one-score games last season regresses back to the average and the absence of Clemson and SMU on the ACC schedule allows the Hokies to be a player in the conference title race.

Worst case 5-7: The team goes 0-2 against the SEC in the first two weeks of the season and picks up another conference loss or two by mid-October, setting the stage for a pressure-packed second half of the season against a schedule that includes Louisville, Miami and a trip to Florida State. The talent on the roster keeps the group competitive throughout, but the year finishes with that familiar feeling that Hokies should have been a couple wins better given their talent."

It might not be an exaggeration to say that Virginia Tech's season could hinge on whether or not Kyron Drones can stay healthy and rediscover his 2023 form.

This Virginia Tech offense is going to look a lot different around Drones in 2025. It is a new look backfield, wide receiver group, and offensive line this season and Drones is going to be working with a new offensive coordinator. Head coach Brent Pry brought in former Baylor and Auburn offensive coordinator Phillip Montgomery to call the plays and lead the offense. Montgomery spoke highly of Drones ability this spring to be a building block for the offense this season:

"Yeah, I think he's done an outstanding job. As we've sat through meetings and been able to start talking ball and installing, I think he's picking it up well as long as well as you know a lot of the other guys offensively you know this thing won't be all about about him you know it's about us as a unit and what we can accomplish as a unit and it's 11 guys paying attention to details and executing on the field so obviously a lot of it starts and stops with him but I could say the same thing about the offensive line it all starts and stops with them as well."

With so many new faces on the offense and a new coordinator, what should be the reasonable expectation for Drones this season? Will we see the talented player who looked like one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country in 2023? Or will the inconsistencies slow him down, as well as all of the new faces? Virginia Tech has a huge test to start the season against South Carolina, which had one of the best defenses in the country last season. If Drones is healthy and playing like his 2023 self, this could be a closer game than many expect.