The Definitive Ranking of Candidates for Virginia Tech's Next Head Coach

What was once a foreign concept in Blacksburg is now the new normal.

For the second time in four years, Virginia Tech is looking for a new head coach of its football program. Names have been tossed around, but with the search committee members bound by non-disclosure agreements, information has been hard to come by.

As we wait for the Hokies to find their new leader, here are my favorite candidates for Virginia Tech's next head coach. 

(Note: These candidates are realistic, but are not listed in terms of their likelihood to be hired. Their ranking is based on who I think is the better candidate.)

Honorable Mentions

Shane Beamer: Pressure is mounting in Columbia as Beamer's Gamecocks have fallen short of expectations. Beamer is a very realistic candidate; however, he does not make my top five. My biggest question regarding Shane is if you remove his last name from the resume, would he be a serious candidate for a program hoping to elevate itself?

Manny Diaz: I'm not sure how realistic it is, but Virginia Tech could do a lot worse than hiring Diaz. After his dismissal from Miami, Diaz rebounded with a strong showing as Penn State's defensive coordinator. He went 9-4 at Duke last season with a mediocre roster at best. Maybe the biggest question is — would Diaz leave Duke for Virginia Tech?

Alex Golesh: He led some great offenses at Tennessee and is winning at South Florida, but it's a bit early for me to rank him in my top five. A disciple of Josh Heupel, Golesh has South Florida in contention for a College Football Playoff bid. He may draw some SEC interest this offseason.

Jon Sumrall: Much like Golesh, Sumrall hasn't had a chance to sustain success just yet. He's highly regarded, however, and may end up in the SEC anyway. Sumrall won 23 games in two seasons at Troy and is winning similarly at Tulane.

Matt Campbell: Iowa State is an incredibly tough job, but Campbell has had the Cyclones playing competitive football for several years now. Is he ready to leave, or is he too comfortable in Ames?

Philip Montgomery: Has Virginia Tech's interim head coach earned a chance at removing the interim tag? Montgomery has galvanized the locker room and led the Hokies to three wins since taking over for Pry. Montgomery is a long shot, but his past experience and present success give him a puncher's chance at earning an interview.

5. Charles Huff

Head Coaching Record: 38-22 over five seasons

Key Accomplishment: Won 2024 Sun Belt Championship

I cannot recall a time when a head coach was pushed out just days after winning a conference title, at least until last year.

In 2024, Huff's Thundering Herd won the Sun Belt, but issues between Huff and the administration led him to take a job at Southern Miss. The Eagles are 5-2 this season, while Marshall is 4-3.

Regardless, Huff brings some serious qualifications. He coached under Nick Saban at Alabama, earning a reputation as one of the nation's best recruiters. He's previously coached and recruited at Mississippi State and Penn State as well, and served as a low-level assistant for the Buffalo Bills in 2012.

Huff was a candidate in 2021 when this job opened, and since then he's proven that he can be a head coach. It would be a leap, but not one that Huff can't make.

Combine his coaching history with an in-depth knowledge of the region, and the Hampton University alum is a solid option to lead Virginia Tech into the future. Huff hasn't been mentioned very much in this coaching search, but he should be.

4. Ryan Silverfield

Head Coaching Record: 49-22 over seven seasons

Key Accomplishment: Retooled Memphis in the post-Fuente/Norvell era

I'm intrigued by coaches that can not only win with a roster built by another coach, but then overcome some struggles and find success again. That's hard to find in this era of college football, since most coaches don't make it longer than five or six seasons at one job.

Silverfield is one of the few coaches that's accomplished this feat, and he did it in a somewhat difficult job. Silverfield went 8-3 in his first full season as head coach, taking a roster mostly curated by Mike Norvell to the Montgomery Bowl in 2020. Memphis dipped over the next two seasons, winning just 13 games.

Silverfield reversed the downward trend in 2023, going 10-3 and 11-2 over the next two seasons. Memphis is 7-1 thus far in 2025 with an outside shot at a College Football Playoff berth.

Surrounded by larger programs poaching elite talent in the region, Silverfield has still found a way to cement Memphis as one of the best Group of 6 programs in the country. He's won with his own players, and won with players that weren't his own. 

Can Silverfield recruit at the next level in the modern era? Memphis secured a large NIL investment from FedEx last year, so he's been exposed to the pay-for-play landscape to some extent. Regardless, Silverfield has proven he can win games, a quality Virginia Tech is in desperate need of.

3. Bob Chesney

Head Coaching Record: 127-51 over 16 seasons

Key Accomplishment: Led teams to FCS and Division II and III playoffs seven consecutive seasons

One of the biggest criticisms of Brent Pry was that he seemed overwhelmed as a head coach. Consistency and preparedness were persistent issues for Pry's Hokies.

Virginia Tech fans likely wouldn't have to worry about that if Bob Chesney were the head coach.

Chesney is a bona fide winner. Guys who win as consistently as he has at the lower levels can coach ball as well as anyone. FCS and Division II and III coaches can't rely on elite talent, but rather sound preparation and in-game coaching. Consider these coaching stints:

• 23 wins over three seasons at Division III Salve Regina
• 44 wins over five seasons and three playoff appearances at Division II Assumption
• 44 wins over six seasons and four playoff appearances at FCS Holy Cross

Can Chesney replicate his success in FCS and the lower divisions in the FBS and against stronger competition? Through a season-and-a-half, the answer is yes — Chesney is 16-5 at James Madison. It's also worth noting that Chesney employs two Virginia Tech alumni on his coaching staff — Eddie Whitley and Justin Harper — and one of his assistant ADs for football administration is Matt Transue, who used to work on Tech's recruiting staff.

The 48-year-old has never had to recruit at an elite level or manage a large NIL/revenue-share budget, which is a significant part of coaching at this level. But if Virginia Tech wants someone who can coach and develop, it'll be difficult to find someone as qualified as Chesney.

2. Dan Mullen

Head Coaching Record: 109-62 over 14 seasons

Key Accomplishment: Four New Year's Six game appearances

When it comes to coaches with a track record of winning in the SEC, the list is very small. If you're looking at coaches that could be hitting the market this offseason, it's even smaller.

Insert Dan Mullen, who's only coaching sin was going 5-6 in his fourth season at Florida. Mullen won a lot of games at Mississippi State, a school not known for its football prowess, before leaving for Gainesville in 2017. The Gators won 21 games in Mullen's first two seasons. I wonder if Gators fans would take that level of success now?

I have two concerns about Mullen — is he ready and able to recruit in the modern era, and can he follow the rules? Mullen was slapped with recruiting violations at Florida and just returned to coaching this year after a few seasons of television work. He's having to learn modern recruiting on-the-fly, but then again, isn't that every coach nowadays?

Mullen may remain at UNLV unless a premier program comes calling, but Virginia Tech might be attractive enough to pull him away from Sin City. Mullen would have access to the Playoff, better fan support, and more resources in Blacksburg. Mullen makes a ton of sense for the Hokies, given his track record and experience developing quarterbacks (Alex Smith, Tim Tebow, Dak Prescott).

1. James Franklin

Head Coaching Record: 104-45 over 15 seasons

Key Accomplishment: Six New Year's Six game appearances

Franklin's surprise entry into the candidate pool hopefully turned Virginia Tech's coaching search upside down. When a coach like Franklin comes available, you call him immediately and see what his services would require.

Vanderbilt's football program was a wasteland when Franklin took over in 2011. The Commodores immediately made a bowl game with Franklin winning 18 games in his final two seasons in Nashville.

Franklin found Penn State in a different yet equally difficult scenario. Bill O'Brien did his best to wade through the many sanctions against Penn State in 2012 and 2013, but the damage from the sanctions remained. Franklin kept the Nittany Lions afloat whilst pulling the program into the 21st century. Since 2016, Franklin has won 10 or more games six different times. He was one possession away from a berth in the National Championship less than a year ago. Franklin may have struggled to win big games in State College, but he won far more than anyone in Blacksburg has in quite some time.

Franklin's track record, combined with success in recruiting a similar footprint, makes him an ideal fit at Virginia Tech. He might not stay long-term, but who cares? The Hokies need someone that can fix this quickly. Franklin can likely be that guy.