In a small group session with new Virginia Tech head football coach Brent Pry after his press conference, Hokies men’s basketball coach Mike Young burst into the room. The two Virginia natives, both raised along the Commonwealth’s I-81 corridor – one from Radford, the other from Lexington – shared a moment and conversed like two high school friends.
Pry fits the culture at Virginia Tech, and it’s evident.
The former Penn State defensive coordinator got his first gig as a graduate assistant on Bud Foster’s defensive staff in 1995. Overseeing the defensive line, he coached interim head coach J.C. Price and was with the Hokies for their thunderous ’95 Sugar Bowl win over Texas in New Orleans. His introductory podium appearance referenced celebrating with Wes Worsham and Price on Bourbon Street.
Pry choked up when he named legendary Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer and Foster, both who were mentors to him. He hit on in-state recruiting and how crucial it is to pull the best players from the Commonwealth. On top of that, Pry emphasized creating relationships with the community in southwest Virginia.
“I’m honored and I’m humbled,” Pry said on Thursday morning. “It’s very surreal for me.”
“There were opportunities along the way, but this was the right time, the right place for me and for my family.”
Pry’s contract details were handed out to media, and he’s set to make $4M in 2022. Note that these numbers are not formal or finalized. However, his budget for assistants and support staff is eye-catching.
A 57% increase from the $3.5M assistant budget under Justin Fuente, Pry will have $5.5M to work with to hire ten full-time coaches. That number ranks second in the ACC from 2020 numbers, just ahead of Florida State’s $5.3M and behind Clemson’s $7.6M.
With that, Pry will have the resources to get Virginia Tech football to the top of the conference.
“We’re going to hire the right people, we’re going to recruit the right people that want to be at Virginia Tech,” Pry said. “We’re going to manage and develop our roster. … We’re going to recruit our footprint. … We’re going to connect to the community, to the fans and to the former players.
“I’m going to be approachable. The relationships are very important to me. That’s what this place is built on. We’re going to treat people right and we’re going to have an open-door policy. … I seemed to have aligned myself in each stop with people that believe in that, that that’s where it starts, from Coach Beamer to James Franklin and everyone in between. That’s not going to change for me. That’s what’s right for Virginia Tech, and that’s who this place is.”
One of the top three candidates for Virginia Tech Director of Athletics Whit Babcock, Pry stood out from the start.
“The way he spoke about it [Virginia Tech] impacted me,” Babcock said of his first interaction with Pry. “All coaches certainly do their homework, but he was speaking from experience, not theory. It just resonated.”
Babcock had three-to-five names on his list, but Pry set the bar high from the very beginning. A college football coach with 30 years of experience, he’s been around the block. He had stops at Louisiana, Georgia Southern and Vanderbilt before staying at Penn State for eight years.
“But at the end of the day, he just really fit better,” Babcock said.
“That defensive edge is our brand, and understanding it and appreciating this special place, this sense of place at Virginia Tech. He fit all of those. He also fit the ten traits or characteristics that we mentioned in our previous press conference. … When you can find your guy and look down the list and it hits everything you’re looking for, you know that’s a pretty good thing.”
Football runs in Pry’s blood. His father, Jim, coached at numerous places, including at VMI when Pry was at then-Lexington High School, who Pry called a “journeyman coach” and said no one has influenced him more.
He’s got the Commonwealth connections, especially after prying away some of Virginia’s top recruits to Happy Valley for many years. With solid resources, the goal is to keep those players in the state and bring them to Blacksburg.
Pry has the pedigree, and though he lacks the coaching experience as the head man, he fits in the New River Valley. He knows what it takes to build a winning culture, and now he has a chance to prove it, right down the road at a program he idolized growing up.
“Going to high school in Lexington, this place was like a mecca for me,” Pry said. “An opportunity to come to Virginia Tech was a dream come true back then. It’s a dream come true today.”
To watch the full press conference, visit hokiesports.com.
Print
A friend and former Hokie player who played w/JCP and was coached by Pry endorses him: “he will connect w/players, be a good recruiter and no one will outwork him.”
I was impressed with Fuente’s first presser and thought he would do well. He seemed to be a cool, skilled professional. Alas, it didn’t work out, largely I think because of the intangibles of building relationships and managing his people…coaches, not players. I was just as impressed with Coach Pry, but with him, you can feel the passion of wanting to be here. He calls it his Mecca. He embraces Frank and Bud as beloved mentors. His first hire of JC is both pleasing to most of us, recognizing JC’s fierce love of Virginia Tech, his ability to step into the breach to hold the team together, and his skills as an experienced coach. I see Coach Pry as having the very important traits that Fu lacked and I get much of the same feeling about him as I did when MY was hired and even when Frank was hired. Proud day to be a Hokie.
Personally, I think Fuente’s problem is that he never fit the VT culture. His roots are in OK and he’s a SW-type guy, w/no mid-Atlantic connections. (Same as Bronco who is even more disconnected from the region.) Pry knows the landscape. Not knocking Fu.
These comments were about the same 6 years ago when Fuente came to town. The truth is we won’t know what Pry brings until three years from now. We’re all excited about a fresh start, and we all hope for the best. I don’t hate anyone who has ever come to Tech – coaches, players, support staff – because they all came here to win and I believe gave their best effort. Sometimes it doesn’t work out. Blacksburg is a magical place; it’s God’s country, it’s Home. If people choose to leave it wasn’t about the location, it was about the situation at the time or to find a better fit, and that’s life.
Agree but if the guy likes the area and does well, maybe he stays?
I think that Coach Pry’s story and commentary is quite different than Fuente’s. Pry feels like he is coming home. I think that Pry is also much more people focused. Surely he will appear more animated in his public appearances.
Agree with you. Pry has come home and seems very prideful about it. Culture fit and Regional ties really do matter (just look at UVA when you get it wrong or Mike Young when you get it right). I also doubt Pry disrepects us and decides to randomly kick the tires and interview with Penn State or some other vacancy just 2 to 3 years into your new job coming off Bowl loss and a15year win streak loss to your fiercest instate rival. This one just feels right.
Man…this is starting to feel right…real right.
It is intellectually…a very interesting exercise to imagine Fu as the OC here under Pry. Unfortunately, that won’t happen, but I do believe Fu to be one heck of an offense X and O guy. That is something that did not transfer to Corn. As it is, I am clueless as to OC, but I would not be surprised to see Stiney as a position coach. I would be fine with that. Stiney is one heck of a recruiter and a very good position coach.
Like Stiney too, for those reasons especially.
I see the return of Beamer Ball (Brent Ball?); QB sacks, blocked punts….Exciting stuff!
Go Hokies!
OH MY GOODNESS. Full- stop. Paragraph 10 & 11 says it all and acknowledges it all for me. Many of us have been begging for this since 2018. I am fully sold. This is a clear (indictment) and deliberate message to me.
“We’re going to hire the right people, we’re going to recruit the right people that want to be at Virginia Tech,” Pry said. “We’re going to manage and develop our roster. … We’re going to recruit our footprint. … We’re going to connect to the community, to the fans and to the former players.
“I’m going to be approachable. The relationships are very important to me. That’s what this place is built on. We’re going to treat people right and we’re going to have an open-door policy. ”
Where’s my checkbook?
Lets’ Go!
Some more help on the way from another Atlanta Hokie.
Even Bud looks happy!
I went from “WTH” to “WOW” in 72 hours. What a ride. Now maybe I can get some work done. Great hire Whit!
Exactly!!!
I feel like we are getting back to the roots of our success with this hire. It’s great to have an AD that gets it. Looking forward to having Pry and Price leading this program.
What a great first impression for coach Pry from the press conference. Welcome back home coach Pry!
This is the right guy in so many ways. I suspect he’ll be a winner on the filed as well.
Watched the video & quickly read thru transcript to verify. I’m pretty certain that, when speaking of Franklin, CBP refered to him as Coach Franklin, James Franklin, or James. After saying ‘Coach Beamer’ early, for the remainder of his remarks & responses he referred to Frank as simply ‘Coach’.
That I believe, that says volumes about respect & reverence.
I don’t disagree, and probably planned, but very well done
Looking forward to a trip to Norfolk on 9/3.
I moved to Lexington on 41/2020. I wear my VT hat, etc everywhere. I’ve gotten quite few ‘Go Hokies’ since then. Even more after beating UVa last Saturday. But – yesterday and today – seems like everyone is a Hokie and lots of folks remember Pry. The local weekly paper came with a photo of him (his senior year) and the all region team posing under Natural Bridge.
Go Hokies!!!
Pry is just like the experience of falling in
Love with your spouse. Kind of hard to explain but you just know when it is legit. When some asks what is it like to be a Hokie. I can tell you, but if have to explain it you will not understand it. Pry understands completely.
And Whit talked to James Franklin about it first, like he was getting permission from dad!
Agree, everyone should watch the Pry portion of the PC to get a feel for what he is about – next we get to see who he wants to work with as assistants and how he gets VT to update the support infrastructure to a P5 level. Looking forward to the next few seasons to see how players respond to his coaching style since everyone at PSU seemed to appreciate and respect his efforts.
He’s going to be looking for ‘fit’ and expertise in filling in his staff. UGa is a great blueprint on how to build a winner – and great recruiting comes first.
Noted yesterday on ESPN that VT has the 19th ranked recruiting class – if they all stay committed.
And – we shouldn’t get heartburn on the portal transfers. It’s happening everywhere. In fact – if you put all these transfers on one team – it would be a pretty good team. Note: the all-time leader in total yards, etc – is a transfer – from Nebraska.
Let’s Go……
… Hokies.
man this is a coach i can get behind. glad we got him
Looks and sounds like a great hire – let’s get behind CBP and GO HOKIES!!!
Recruiting the state of Virginia is just something both Fu and Bronco miffed at. No realization how important it is to the fans to see a kid wearing the VT who they saw in high school a few years back.
The state of Virginia is ripe for the picking. Bronco isn’t going to recruit this state. JMU is moving up to D1, Liberty and ODU are already there but I am not sure they compete with us well when we offer.
2022 should be very interesting.
We need to start out-recruiting UNC and PSU in our own state, for sure. I’m think Pry is the guy to do so.
Exactly. It is PSU and UNC taking our state talent
Bronco isn’t going to recruit this state. >>>>
LOL. Interesting farewell speech.
Do yourself a favor and listen to Pry’s full opening remarks. Or at least the first 20 minutes or so. The dude nearly cries talking about Coach Beamer and Foster and he says repeatedly – we’re going to embrace our fans, be approachable, fully embrace HS coaches and recruit VA hard. He’s a RELATIONSHIP builder and connector and he absolutely wanted to timestamp that in people’s memory today — Day 1. We all know one presser does not a coach make but it was – at times – brutally obvious the stark difference Pry wanted to establish between him and the perceived and/or real shortcomings of Coach Fu. Done in a super classy and affirming way IMHO. Welcome Coach Pry!!
The introduction is on ESPN’s ACC Network.
Agree totally, he had his script from the communications people but I could tell he didn’t need it when speaking of core values which had relationships at the center.
Spoke his intentions without denigrating the past staff’s.