Brent Pry wasn’t sure he would ever strike out on his own. The 51-year-old had carved out his role as James Franklin’s right-hand man at Vanderbilt and Penn State over the past 11 years. The Nittany Lions defensive coordinator had previous opportunities to take over programs, but none felt right.
Last month, though, a job opened that piqued Pry’s interest. Virginia Tech fired coach Justin Fuente with two games left in his sixth season in Blacksburg, Va. Pry had worked as a Hokies graduate assistant under longtime coach Frank Beamer from 1995-97. He went to high school in the area.
The possibility crossed Pry’s mind that this could be his chance to lead his own team, his own program.
“Absolutely,” Pry told reporters Thursday morning. “Absolutely.”
Read more: Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry hired by Virginia Tech to be head coach
Pry was announced as the next Virginia Tech coach Tuesday. He was introduced at a news conference Thursday. The Altoona native traded blue and white for maroon and orange, as evidenced by his checkered tie. After spending his 30-year career working his way up the ladder and mostly working outside of the spotlight, Pry took center stage in Blacksburg.
He handled it with aplomb. Pry referenced the influence of Beamer and former Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster, Beamer’s own longtime right-hand man, on his career, while also highlighting how his Penn State experience could help him elevate a Hokies program that is 25-24 over the past four seasons. But perhaps most importantly, it’s where he wants to be.
“Obviously, there was stops along the way that make you think, boy, you’d like to be the head here one day if you could and what a special place,” Pry said during his introductory news conference. “Virginia Tech’s one of those places. It’s a dream for me to be the head coach here. It’s surreal.
“I learned at an early age, you just keep your nose to the grindstone and you be the best coach you can where you are, and opportunities, they can come. We’ve had those opportunities that just weren’t appealing enough, and when you’re in a good place with good people, it’s hard to leave. I’m not going to say it was easy to leave Penn State and to leave James, but this was the right opportunity.”
Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock said the first contact with Pry came during what sounded like the Monday ahead of Penn State’s season finale against Michigan State. It was an off day for the Nittany Lions, and Franklin knew about it. Babcock also said he spoke with Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour about Pry and the job.
Pry, whose six-year contract averages out to $4.583 million per season, impressed Virginia Tech brass. And when it came time to inform Franklin of his decision to leave Penn State after eight seasons, Pry doesn’t think his boss was too surprised.
“James has always known how I felt about Virginia Tech,” Pry said. “We’ve been friends since 1993. He was the quarterback for my father at East Stroudsburg University, and I was a first-time coach at ESU, so he’s always known my passion for this place. We were buddies when I came to Virginia Tech as a GA. So I’m sure when this thing opened, it crossed his mind like it did mine. But he was very supportive and wanted to help any way he could, so it was a good conversation.”
Read more: Five names to know as James Franklin zeroes in on Penn State’s next defensive coordinator
There are plenty of lessons that Pry can take from his time under Franklin at Penn State. The obvious ones come on the recruiting trail, where Franklin has had plenty of success. Pry emphasized in-state recruiting for Virginia Tech, and he highlighted how Penn State was able to bring some top prospects from Virginia — five-star linebacker Brandon Smith stands out — to State College.
Now that he’s in the state, Pry looks forward to keeping the top prospects at home. And Franklin’s tutelage should help.
“Details, details, details,” Pry said. “When it comes to recruiting, he is relentless in the details, following through and being thorough, building those relationships with the high school coach, with the trainer, with the parents, with the uncle, with the barber that cuts hair. I mean, it doesn’t matter. And so, I think over 12 years with James, just his relentless effort on the recruiting front and being actively involved as a head coach is very important to me. I don’t see that being any different.”
There’s always a risk for a program like Virginia Tech to hire a first-time head coach like Pry. He’s stepping into the biggest job of his career. But Babcock and the Hokies braintrust looked at Pry’s resume and history and determined that he was the right man to do it.
And for Pry, it’s the opportunity to finally take complete ownership of a program and mold it in his image. There have been chances to do it before. This was the right one.
“I wasn’t sure I’d ever step out and do my own thing,” Pry said, “and it took this place to do it.”
Read more: Former Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for November
Daniel Gallen covers Penn State for PennLive. He can be reached at dgallen@pennlive.com. You can follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow PennLive’s Penn State coverage on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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‘It took this place to do it’: Brent Pry strikes out on his own at Virginia Tech after 8 years at Penn State - pennlive.com
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