The Brent Pry era part two in Blacksburg?
Appears so, as according to reports Sunday morning, new Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin is hiring the man he succeeded, Pry, to be his defensive coordinator.
Tech fired Pry in September after the Hokies started 0-3, ending a tenure where he was 16-24 overall in three-plus seasons, and hired Franklin – who was fired by Penn State in October after a 3-3 start – in mid-November, but allowed interim coach Phillip Montgomery to finish out what ended as a 3-9 season for the Hokies.
And, at his intro presser, Franklin got emotional when asked about replacing Pry, whom he has a long history with.
“I know he poured his heart and soul into this place,” Franklin said then. “I know this place is better today because of Brent and the commitment that he made.”
Prior to being hired as Hokies head coach, Pry had been spent the previous 11 seasons on Franklin’s staffs at Vanderbilt and Penn State – five as assistant head coach, co-DC, and linebackers coach split between Vandy and PSU, and the last six as full DC and linebackers coach.
The two have known each other for over three decades, going back to Pry’s two seasons as a defensive assistant at Division II East Stroudsburg State in 1993-94, where Franklin was the starting quarterback being mentored by Pry’s father Jim, the Warriors’ offensive coordinator.
And now, the two are together again, with Pry in a familiar spot both on the Blacksburg sidelines and as the top defensive lieutenant for Franklin.