Brent Pry is facing another coaching change as offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen is leaving Virginia Tech for a new role as Ohio State’s offensive line coach, a position that came open after the departures of Ohio State’s offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and offensive line coach Justin Frye. Bowen, who spent three years as the Hokies’ offensive coordinator, is highly regarded for his ability to integrate various concepts, particularly in the run game.
Despite some mixed results during his time at Virginia Tech, Bowen’s track record at places like Penn State and with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars made him an appealing candidate for Ohio State. Bowen had two years left on his contract with the Hokies but will now join a staff in transition at Ohio State, where Frye made $1 million last year, significantly more than Bowen’s $875,000 salary at Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech plans to move quickly in replacing Bowen, though this hire won’t take nearly as long as the six-plus weeks it took to bring in defensive coordinator Sam Siefkes. Spring ball begins in just over a month, so the process needs to be swift. The direction Pry will take with the hire is unclear, as there are no clear internal candidates who have experience as an offensive coordinator. Receivers coach Fontel Mines and running backs coach Elijah Brooks have no prior experience as offensive coordinators, and the newly hired offensive line coach Matt Moore has never coordinated an offense.
One possibility could be assistant offensive line coach Brent Davis, who previously served as a coordinator for Army for nine years, although his experience with an option-specific offense may not align with what the Hokies are looking for. Despite his past experience with Bowen at Penn State, Pry has not limited himself to hiring from his past coaching stops, as seen with his hiring of Brad Glenn as quarterbacks coach without prior experience working with him.
Bowen’s tenure saw its ups and downs. In 2022, the Hokies’ offense ranked 119th nationally, struggling with a lack of playmakers. However, Bowen’s 2023 offense, fueled by Kyron Drones’ development and new additions at receiver and running back, improved significantly, ranking 60th in total offense and 56th in scoring. Despite facing injuries to key players like Drones and Tuten in 2024, the offense still managed to score 28 or more points three times in the final five weeks of the season, although they ranked 88th in total offense.
This marks the first time since 1993 that Virginia Tech will replace both coordinators in an offseason without a head coaching change. That year, Frank Beamer made significant staff changes, which led to the beginning of the Hokies’ famed bowl streak.
