“Bad news, ladies and gentlemen. Bad news on the job front.” With those words, national analyst Josh Pate cut straight to the heart of the hottest storyline circling college football: Virginia Tech is on the hunt for a new head coach just three weeks into the season. Brent Pry’s 0-3 start sealed his fate, leaving the Hokies scrambling to identify replacements before Week 4. Yet even as names surface, Pate has a clear message for the candidates: Be careful about the job you take.

It was just yesterday that Athletic Director Whit Babcock was brimming with joy as Virginia Tech grabbed 5.4 million views following the week 1 saga. But optimism evaporated with losses to Utah, UNLV, and New Mexico. As Pry exits, On3 has already identified potential successors, including Alex Golesh of South Florida, Buster Faulkner of Georgia Tech, and Will Stein of Oregon. Pate, however, dismissed the fit for each.

“I got to be honest with you,” Josh Pate started on Hokies’ potential HC candidates. “Alex Golesh’s name was on that list. There is not a prayer…. I’m leaving USF for Virginia Tech if I’m Golesh. I can do better than that. I’m just being honest with you. I can do better than that.” Golesh’s stock has skyrocketed following a celebratory win against the Gators, 18-16, and he won the prestigious Dodd Trophy National Coach of the Week honor. His profile has already been rising, so much so that he was briefly linked as a potential replacement for DeShaun Foster at UCLA before Athletic Director Martin Jarmond confirmed Tim Skipper as interim head coach. Presently, his contract with the USF runs for three more years as he rakes in $2.5 million per year.

Coming to the next candidate, Pate put his opinion crystal clear. “Buster Faulkner at Georgia Tech is going to have his name thrown out there some,” he added. The Yellow Jackets’ win over Deion Sander’s Buffs rewrote the narrative at Georgia Tech. As the offensive coordinator, he played a significant role in limiting Colorado’s defense. He was also the nominee for the Broyles Award in 2023. Aside from developing the offense, he also plays a huge role in hauling fresh recruits from high school. Pate continued, “Look, I’d recommend to all these guys if your stock is that high right now, you need to understand that it’s not going to fade, and you will have better opportunities. Like, there will be other jobs that come open. Will Stein at Oregon, same thing. Same thing. Like everyone knows, those guys are going to get jobs.”

Stein steered the offensive command after Kenny Dillingham moved to Arizona State and learned loads under the head coach Dan Lanning. Lanning is among the celebrated coaches in college football. Clocking a 37-6 record over his three seasons as a head coach, while posting back-to-back 12-win seasons, leading the Ducks to the 2024 Big Ten Championship, he carved out his own identity in the circuit. Naturally, Will Stein would have taken detailed notes under him, with the strategic coaching and attention to detail. And that’s what Virginia is probably stressing on, trying to haul Will to the Hokies.

Moreover, Stein is from Louisville, so again the question looms over whether he’d rather stick around the West Coast or head closer to his home. But given Stein’s career curve, from taking up coaching stints from Texas (high school coach) to the West Coast, he is not picky about the geography. Pate concluded. “But you got to have the right deck of cards, especially if you got a name that’s a hot commodity, before you just go and grab the first one. No, don’t necessarily do that.” So, what next?

Will Will Stein replace Brent Pry?

Josh Pate has a straight, blunt opinion of Will Stein taking up the head coach gig at Virginia Tech. And along similar lines, another Ducks insider has predicted the possibility of Stein’s future at Blacksburg. Ducks Wire’s Zachary Neel squashed the speculation regarding Stein moving to the Hokies. Both Josh Pate and Neel tread on similar viewpoints that Stein can do much better than fighting “uphill battles at both UCLA and Virginia.”

The Bruins are on the lookout for their next head coach as well, after they fired DeShaun Foster after a 0-3 streak. Neel continued. “So, unless something else comes out, Oregon fans likely don’t need to be worried about this, for the time being.” The Duck’s offensive assistant coordinator is 35 years old and has three years of experience working under Dan Lanning, and as it appears, he is content at Eugene.

After nurturing Dillon Gabriel and Bo Nix to Heisman stock and taking the Ducks offense to No. 3 across college football for points per game (51.5), he looks comfortable to continue with the Ducks. As Ducks Wire put it. “Stein looks well on his way to sending another in 2025,” Zachary Neel put it on the Will Stein vied as a potential Hokies HC candidate. Presently, Philip Montgomery will serve as the interim head coach.