Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
Brent Pry was fired after a week three loss this past Virginia Tech football season.
Now, six months later, he is back as the team’s defensive coordinator.
When former Penn State’s James Franklin was introduced as the new head coach, he gave an emotional speech that mentioned Pry, who had served in a similar role in College Park.
The underlying message was simple—Franklin would probably not be taking the Tech job if it hadn’t been for that relationship. The new head coach credited Pry’s endorsement of the Tech program as a major factor in his decision to accept the job.
This past week, Pry described the return as “refreshing,” allowing him to focus on on-field coaching rather than the administrative duties of a head coach (his first being Virginia Tech).
“You know, it seems like a tough decision, but really it’s not when you think about what’s important to me and my family, and that’s working with and aligning with somebody that you trust and know as a leader, as a man, and how he’s going to treat people and how he’s going to run the organization,” said Pry.
“I had other opportunities to be a coordinator at other places, but there was a lot of unknowns. So, the knowingness, the comfort of working with James again after so many years was a real positive for me. He knows me, and I know him.”
Pry has been very open about Virginia Tech and its soft spot it has in his heart, dating back to the time when he was a graduate assistant under then head coach Frank Beamer and defensive coordinator Bud Foster.
“Secondly, I love Virginia Tech. I think everybody knows that. So, a chance to continue – there was no bitterness for me – a chance to continue to help Virginia Tech turn the corner and be proud again. I want that, and this was an opportunity to continue to do that. And then my family and I love this community. My kids love Blacksburg High. We love being here in Blacksburg and representing Tech. So, there were too many positives. A lot of these players that were returning, I wanted to coach these guys. I love these guys. I still want what’s best for them. And now the role is just a little different in how I can help them do that,” he said.
Pry, a coaching veteran with more than 30 years of experience, returns to Tech following four seasons as the Hokies’ head coach, leading the program to back-to-back bowl games in 2023 (Military Bowl) and 2024 (Duke’s Mayo Bowl).
“Once he was named a head coach, it was kind of like, ‘OK, if we’re presented with this opportunity, can we really do this?’ So, it took a little bit of soul-searching and to find peace with it. But I wanted to be able to walk back in the building and be myself, be positive and be appreciative. We got to that place,” he said.
The Altoona, Pennsylvania native spent eight seasons with Franklin at Penn State (2014-21), including the last six as defensive coordinator, where he guided top-25 defenses in four of those six seasons. Pry was also co-defensive coordinator for three straight top-25 defenses at Vanderbilt under Franklin (2011-13).
Pry and Franklin’s relationship began at East Stroudsburg University in 1993, when Franklin was the Warriors’ quarterback and Pry coached outside linebackers and defensive backs.
