Virginia Tech Football: Hokies Officially Name Phillip Montgomery as Their New Offensive Coordinator
It is officially official. After multiple reports were coming in this morning saying that Virginia Tech was close to hiring former Tulsa head coach Phillip Montgomery, the Hokies have made the hire official.
Welcome Home our new Offensive Coordinator Philip Montgomery 🦃
— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) February 17, 2025
🔗 https://t.co/LWwaUE6wxA#ThisIsHome | @CoachPMonty pic.twitter.com/VSDudAgYVA
Hokies head coach Brent Pry had this to say about the hire of Montgomery as the new offensive coordinator in Blacksburg:
“Philip Montgomery is one of the most respected offensive minds in college football. His ability to develop quarterbacks and build explosive offenses will be instrumental in our continued growth as a program. Philip’s experience as both a head coach and a coordinator will help us maximize our talent and put our players in the best position to succeed.”
“I’m honored to join Virginia Tech and work alongside Coach Pry and this outstanding staff,” said Montgomery. “The tradition of Hokie football, combined with the passion of its fan base, make this an exciting opportunity. I look forward to implementing an aggressive, balanced offensive attack that puts our players in a position to thrive.”
A former High School football coach, Montgomery has had several FBS stops in his career. He was the QB/RB's coach at Houston under Art Briles from 2003-2006 and then took on the role of Co-OC in 2007. He left with Briles to go to Baylor when Briles was hired as the head coach in Waco and Montgomery was there from 2008-2014, serving in the same roles that he did at Houston. Montgomery was the Co-OC when Robert Griffin III won the 2011 Heisman Trophy and Baylor had arguably the top offenses in the country.
Montgomery left to become the head coach at Tulsa in 2015 and he was there until 2022, a pretty long time to be at Tulsa. He finished his time there with a 43-53 record, including 2-2 in bowl games. He was then the offensive coordinator for Auburn in 2023 and most recently, the Co-OC for the Birmingham Stallions.
Hokies head coach Brent Pry is heading into a very big season in Blacksburg and one where he needs to show improvement. He has two new coordinators with him now and both have upside, while also never having been coordinators at the FBS level. With Kyron Drones leading the way once again on offense, Taylor will need to maximize his strengths to be successful. Virginia Tech is replacing quite a few players at the running back, wide receiver, and along the offensive line. They have reached into the transfer portal to fill some of those needs, but the results are what is going to matter at the end of the day.
More on the hire from hokiesports.com:
"Montgomery spent seven seasons at Baylor (2008-2014), including three as the offensive coordinator for the Big 12 powerhouse. The Bears posted 10 or more wins in three of his last four seasons, including 11 victories in both 2013 and 2014. In 2014, Baylor produced an 11-1 record and a No. 4 ranking in the Associated Press poll.
For four straight seasons with the Bears, Montgomery called plays for an offense ranked among the nation’s best. In 12 games in 2014, Baylor's 581.3 yards per game and 48.8 points led the nation. The Bears also led the nation in total offense in 2013 (618.8 ypg) and ranked second in both 2012 (572.2) and 2011 (587.1). Baylor’s passing attack ranked among the top five in the country each of those years. Montgomery was a 2013 finalist for the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top college football assistant coach.
For three straight seasons, each with a different quarterback, Montgomery’s pupils earned All-America honors. In 2013, Bryce Petty threw for 4,200 yards and 32 touchdowns, finishing seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting and earning unanimous Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors. Under Montgomery's guidance, Nick Florence threw for a school-record 4,309 yards in 2012 and was named an honorable mention All-American by Sports Illustrated.
As backfield coach in 2011, Montgomery coached two All-Americans—Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III and future NFL draftee Terrance Ganaway, who set Baylor single-season records for rushing yards (1,566) and rushing TDs (21). Baylor’s offense set or tied 101 school records en route to a 10-3 record and a memorable 67-56 Alamo Bowl win over Washington. Montgomery was selected as the National Offensive Coordinator of the Year by Rivals.com and was named Quarterback Coach of the Year by FootballScoop.com.
Montgomery spent five seasons coaching the offensive backfield at Houston, serving as co-offensive coordinator in 2006 and 2007. In the 2007 regular season, Houston ranked fourth nationally in total offense (513.1), 10th in rushing offense (239.9), 17th in scoring offense (36.3) and 27th in passing offense (273.2)."
Additional Links:
Virginia Tech Naming Phillip Montgomery to Become Hokies' New Offensive Coordinator
Virginia Tech Basketball: Hokies NET Ranking Sees Little Change Following Loss to Virginia
Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell