Virginia Tech football head coach Brent Pry announced Thursday two new hires to the football strength and conditioning team with Brandon Dillard and Ryan Hardie joining the program as assistant strength and conditioning coaches under Senior Director of Strength and Conditioning Dwight Galt.
From Martinsville, Va., and Bassett High School, Dillard is no stranger to Blacksburg. A former student-athlete, he was a member of the Hokies’ football team (2005-10), earning his bachelor’s degree in residential property management in 2009. He played in 13 games in 2007 as a wide receiver and kick returner. He was a member of two ACC Championship teams (2007, 2008) and two Orange Bowl teams (2007, 2008) under Head Coach Frank Beamer.
Dillard began his career as a strength and conditioning graduate assistant at Tech in 2011 before being named the Associate Director of Strength and Conditioning for men’s and women’s basketball in 2012, a role he held until 2016. For the last seven years, he has served as the Associate Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic sports at Tech, designing strength and conditioning programs for track and field, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s tennis, and women’s golf.
Over these years, the Hokies were a fixture in the postseason. The teams earned a total of 17 NCAA Tournament berths and nine ACC championships.
Dillard is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
From Canton, Ohio, and GlenOak High School, Hardie comes to Blacksburg following four years as the Assistant Director of Sports Performance at Old Dominion. In that role, Hardie designed and executed strength and conditioning programs for the football, women’s basketball, and women’s rowing teams.
Hardie’s résumé includes stops at his alma mater, Walsh University (2013-15), and Malone University (2016-19), where he served as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at both schools. Hardie also served separate internships in strength and conditioning at Ohio State University (2015-16) and the University of Georgia (2019).
He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and holds a RSCC ranking through the NSCA. Hardie is also a certified Sports Performance Coach through USA-Weightlifting (USAW).
Hardie earned his bachelor’s degree in multi-age physical education, along with a masters of business administration from Walsh University, where he played college football.
Dillard and Hardie join Tech football letterwinners Jarrett Ferguson and Greg Allen as football strength and conditioning assistants.
–VT Athletics