Virginia Tech’s Wasted Opportunity: How the NFL Draft Exposed a Major 2024 Letdown
Just one year ago, optimism buzzed through Blacksburg. With strong roster retention and impactful transfer portal additions, Virginia Tech football looked poised to take a big step forward in Brent Pry’s third year at the helm. Some even dared to mention the Hokies as dark horses for the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. But fast-forward to spring 2025, and the NFL Draft just underscored what fans already feared—the 2024 season was a catastrophic missed opportunity.
It all began with a gut-wrenching Week 1 overtime loss to Vanderbilt, a game Tech was favored to win. That opening stumble quickly derailed the momentum. From there, the season turned into a frustrating grind marked by inconsistency, questionable calls—like the controversial overturned touchdown in the Miami loss—and an overall sense that the team was never quite clicking.
Despite finishing the regular season 6-6, bowl eligibility wasn’t secured until a Thanksgiving weekend win over in-state rival Virginia. But the team limped into the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, with key players opting out for the NFL Draft or hitting the transfer portal. A flat loss to Minnesota capped off a 6-7 campaign that felt like a step backward instead of progress.
Now, the 2025 NFL Draft has brought Virginia Tech’s squandered season back into sharp focus. Five former Hokies—Bhayshul Tuten, Jaylin Lane, Aeneas Peebles, Antwaun Powell-Ryland, and Dorian Strong—were all selected, albeit on Day 3. That number placed Tech among an elite group of programs with five or more draftees, further highlighting the gap between talent on paper and the results on the field.
Was a playoff run too ambitious? Maybe. But an 8- or 9-win season—possibly even 10—was absolutely within reach given the schedule and roster. This team had the pieces. It had the experience. What it lacked was execution, consistency, and perhaps leadership at critical moments.
Brent Pry still has support in Blacksburg, and his passion for the program is unquestioned. But after a 2024 season that should have been a breakout, the Hokies are instead left asking “what if?” The NFL Draft proved that the talent was real—it just wasn’t maximized. And in a sport where windows to win are fleeting, that’s a bitter pill to swallow.