For the first time in at least several years, the Virginia Tech Hokies have major expectations on them with just about everybody considering them a sleeper, if not an outright contender, for the ACC title this year.
This comes after the Hokies finished 2023 strong winning six of their final nine games for their first winning season since 2019. Add in the fact that the Hokies were ranked among the best in the nation in returning production with plenty of high-level stars and starters back, and the Hokies have clear expectations for the 2024 season to at least be a serious contender for the ACC title.
For head coach Brent Pry, he's embracing the expectations and the "good problem" of having to handle those expectations and deal with the pressure that can come with them.
"I think it’s a good problem to have. You want that problem. You want expectations. And I think most of these guys come to Virginia Tech with that in mind that you’re going to compete for a championship," Pry said.
Pry knows that getting his players prepared to handle these expectations is part of the job especially with expectations on the rise. He also feels that it's still noise, just positive noise this time instead of the more negative noise that came around the program from the lows of a 3-8 2022 season and a 1-3 start to the 2023 season.
"That’s part of coaching these kids and mentoring them to understand how to handle pressure, how to handle disappointments, how to handle expectations; that’s all of it. This is a little bit different position obviously. The noise sounds different, but it’s still noise and the guys have done a good job," Pry said.
Brent Pry and the Hokies' coaches have done various things to prepare for the expectations and teach their players how to handle all the praise that they are receiving along with the critiques.
