Hokie ClubThe signs are there.
You saw them for yourself if you attended Virginia Tech football home games against Pitt, Wake Forest, or Syracuse. Or caught the Hokies' Veteran's Day domination of Boston College on the road.
Head coach Brent Pry's program is turning the corner, and we've all gotten a taste of what Pry and his staff are trying to build at Virginia Tech.
A finished product? Well, you know the answer to that as well.
We've gotten a taste of what it will be like, but the journey is just beginning.
Ya know, down at the University of Florida, football fans sing Petty's "I won't back down" at the end of the third quarter of each home football game. It's become an anthem of sorts for Gator fans to honor Petty, a Gainesville native who became one of rock's greatest stars.
(The tradition, by the way, was introduced to the "Swamp" by 2007 Virginia Tech School of Communication graduate Alicia Longworth, then the Gator's Assistant Athletics Director of Marketing and Promotions.)
While Gator fans have their favorite Tom Petty hit, another Petty classic might be a song to add to your November playlist: The Waiting.
The waiting is the hardest part.
It's not a song to play at the stadium by any means. But its lyrics represent the non-linear and crazy path Hokies are enduring together.
Oh baby, don't it feel like heaven right now?
Don't it feel like somethin' from a dream?
Last month, as Virginia Tech's defense pummeled Syracuse for eight sacks and its offense powered its way to 528 yards, including 318 on the ground, Hokie fans felt like it was indeed a dream. That October win over SU at a frenzied Lane Stadium marked the third straight conference opponent the Hokies dominated on their home field.
For Tech fans, it felt like … heaven … or at least it felt like it used to feel when the ESPN cameras were in town on a Thursday and everyone saw fireworks in the sky and on the field.
The 600-yard outburst at Boston College felt the same way.
Virginia Tech fans yearn for that on a weekly basis, just like the coaches and players. But success isn't linear. Never has been. And we're seeing that with the 2023 football team.
Every day you see one more card.
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart.
You can see the progress being made in the ascension of Virginia Tech's football program. You saw for yourself both the between-the-tackles power and open-field elusiveness of Bayshul Tuten.
You see the rapid development of quarterback Kyron Drones and the emerging players on the Hokies' defense. You saw 'em hammer Pitt. Stomp Wake. Squash the Orange. Dominate BC.
A year ago, the Hokies had a hard time beating... well, anyone.
This year, they've blasted the bottom half of the ACC. So that's progress.
But perhaps they're not ready—at least not yet—to beat the top teams in this conference, like FSU and Louisville, away from home. And therein lies the waiting.
Eventually, Virginia Tech's football program will be back where most Hokie fans want it to be and, candidly, where the coaches and administration need it to be. But it doesn't happen overnight, particularly if you want a program that's built to last.
Tradition can help, but it guarantees nothing.
Nebraska's had six consecutive losing seasons, has gone through six head coaches since Tom Osborne retired, and hasn't played in a major bowl game since the 2001 Rose Bowl.
Miami is on its sixth head coach since joining the ACC and has averaged just 7.4 wins per season since joining the conference. It hasn't won a single ACC football title.
And those two schools have combined to win 10 national championships.
Similarly, you can't buy your way to the top, as Texas A&M has shown the college football world.
Each of those schools has some inherent advantages over Tech, be it Heisman winners, national titles, or an endless flow of oil money pumping millions annually into NIL programs.
So, the slow, smart, meticulous build is the smart play for Virginia Tech.
Relationships with high school coaches. Recruiting within a geographic footprint that makes sense. Being exceptional in evaluation and player development. An aggressive, creative, and smart NIL strategy. And at the end of the day, valuing culture over C-notes.
The net result? It's going to require patience from a fan base in a 'we want to win now' era.
The Hokies look great one week and then look like a team relying on undersized linebackers, inexperienced safeties, and freshmen offensive linemen the next.
That's all part of the journey.
Winning isn't a straight line heading upwards. In fact, it's the opposite. It's erratic, with wins and losses, successes and failures, exhilarating triumphs, and frustrating defeats. There can be long periods seemingly without progress, and then suddenly, you're high-fiving your old college roomie after a huge Tech win.
It will happen if you have the patience to endure the setbacks. The signs are there.
Every day you get one more yard.
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart.
The waiting is the hardest part.