Blacksburg, VA (AP) – Virginia Tech is moving forward After the fourth-year soccer coach Brent Ply firesfor the remainder of his season under interim coach and for a greater reshaping of the Hokies track and field business.
Athletic Director Whit Babcock spoke to reporters without question two days after Ply’s shooting on Tuesday. I came with the Hokies, sitting 0-3 for the first time since 1987.
“College sports, especially Power for Football, is a result-oriented business and obviously didn’t win enough football games,” Babcock said.
Ply’s firing came the day after the Hokies fell 31-0 midway. To the loss of the 45-26 home to Old Dominion. Return to halftime Last week’s defeat to VanderbiltVirginia Tech gave up 65 unanswered points with over 70 minutes of game action.
The school hired Ply in 2021 after eight seasons as Pennsylvania’s defensive coordinator, revived former graduate assistant under Beamer. However, Pry went just 16-24 in his tenure, marked by his struggles with the opposition of the power conference (loss of 15 straight) and close games (1-12 in games 1-12).
Offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery is the interim coach as the Hokies returned to the field against Wofford, the championship plot opponent on Saturday. Montgomery was head coach at Tulsa from 2015-22 and joined Ply staff earlier this season.
“We now have the opportunity to write the ending of what this story will turn out,” Montgomery said after Babcock’s statement.
Sunday’s announcement came from President Tim Sons in place of Babcock, but Sands pointed to the need to “make a financial, organizational and leadership plan” to compete with the best of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Babcock declined to comment on Sunday’s statement for details beyond the Sands statement. The proposed plan will be reviewed on how to “modernize” the Hokies’ approach to football and track and field.
“The paradigm of the college football landscape is clearly changing, and we are better positioned for success, and rather than chasing behind it, we are ahead of the curve,” Babcock said.
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