The Virginia Tech Hokies fired head coach Brent Pry back on September 14 after an 0-3 start to the season and an embarrassing 45-26 home loss to the Old Dominion Monarchs. Pry’s 3-plus year run in Blacksburg
ended unceremoniously with a 16-24 record. His best season came in 2023, when the Hokies went 7-6 and won the Military Bowl.
A lot has changed since Virginia Tech fired Pry over two months ago.
On Wednesday, the Hokies officially introduced former Penn State coach James Franklin as Virginia Tech’s new head coach. For those who may be unaware, Franklin and Pry are close friends. Pry left his comfortable position as Penn State’s defensive coordinator after the 2021 season to come to Blacksburg.
Pry first met Franklin when he was starting his coaching career as a young assistant at East Stroudsburg in Pennsylvania, where Franklin was the quarterback, and Pry’s father was the offensive coordinator. Pry and Franklin became fast friends. When Franklin landed his first head-coaching job at Vanderbilt in 2011, he hired Pry. When Franklin moved to Penn State in 2014, Pry came with him.
On Wednesday, the Hokies introduced Franklin as the new head coach. He spoke at Cassell Coliseum, thanking everyone at Virginia Tech, including Bud Foster, who recruited him to Blacksburg. But it was Pry who caused Franklin to break down.
Franklin called Pry a “good friend” before explaining their history together. Franklin said Pry “poured his heart and soul” into Virginia Tech. He said that Virginia Tech “was better today” because of Pry.
Guess what? He’s correct. Do you think Franklin takes the Virginia Tech job if Pry bashes his former employer? Pry had the chance for revenge against his former employer. Nope. He took the high road. We could all learn something from that. Part of it is because Pry truly does love Virginia Tech. Pry badly wanted things to work out with the Hokies. It didn’t. It happens.
Instead of trashing Virginia Tech, Pry told Franklin how special it is. Something Bud Foster echoed. So, while Pry didn’t win as much as he hoped to, he delivered his biggest win to Hokie Nation over the past month. He helped convince Franklin the Hokies were the right place for him and his family.
Franklin is the biggest hire in the history of Virginia Tech athletics. We don’t know how it will work out. But if you give a successful coach like Franklin the proper resources, you have to like your chances.
Franklin is also right about Pry making Virginia Tech better. No, the Hokies didn’t win a lot under Pry, but he did help repair the damaged relationships with many high schools throughout the state after Justin Fuente’s tenure. It was Pry who helped Virginia Tech realize it was time to go “all-in” with its next hire. No, Pry didn’t go to the Board of Visitors and ask for more resources, but it was during his tenure when Virginia Tech realized Pry didn’t have the necessary resources to compete.
Everyone in Hokie Nation owes Brent Pry a thank you.
