Black Sunday? Social media reacts as UCLA, Virginia Tech part ways with head coaches in rapid fashion
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Two college football firings on opposite coasts of the country took place just minutes apart on Sunday. And neither were particularly surprising.
It began with the news of DeShaun Foster’s ouster at UCLA. After a 5-7 record in 2024, Foster and the Bruins were expected to make significant strides in 2025 after Nico Iamaleava transferred in from Tennessee. It’s been the opposite as they’ve started the season 0-3, including Saturday’s embarrassing loss to New Mexico. Foster was 5-10 in 15 games as head coach of the Bruins.
Moments later, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Brent Pry had been let go at Virginia Tech, news that was made official not long afterwards. Pry was entering his 4th season and, after going 16-21 since arriving in Blacksburg, had hoped to turn the fortunes of the Hokies in 2025. After starting the season with a loss in Atlanta to South Carolina, Pry and the Hokies fell to Vanderbilt before a humiliating 45-23 loss to an Old Dominion team led by Ricky Rahne, a fellow member of James Franklin’s staff at Vandy and Penn State. Pry will finish with a 16-24 mark.
The firing of Foster and Pry was the talk of social media on Sunday. Or, specifically, how rapidly the firings took place.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
