Virginia Tech coach James Franklin is concentrating on Brent Pry to be his defensive coordinator in what could be one of the vital uncommon teaching hires in faculty soccer historical past, sources informed CBS Sports activities’ Matt Zenitz and Richard Johnson.
Pry was a very long time Franklin assistant at Penn State and Vanderbilt earlier than being employed at Virginia Tech as the top coach in 2022. Nonetheless, Pry was fired after an 0-3 begin to the 2025 season. There aren’t many (if any) examples of a coach being fired one season and returning to the identical faculty in a unique capability within the subsequent, however with greater than a decade of expertise as a coordinator underneath Franklin, it makes this a very distinctive scenario.
Hiring Pry would possible garner a combined response in Blacksburg from followers, however regardless that he is solely been on the job for a couple of weeks, Franklin has already earned some good thing about the doubt with the Virginia Tech devoted. Regardless of not having a training employees employed round him, Franklin hit the bottom operating and turned Virginia Tech’s recruiting class from being one of many worst within the ACC to the twenty second finest within the nation — and a top-five class within the convention.
Franklin’s work flipping practically each Penn State commit and bringing in different high quality expertise on signing day gave the Hokies their finest recruiting class in additional than a decade, and that has absolutely given followers purpose to consider in his imaginative and prescient — even when meaning bringing again the coach they only fired. Pry’s defenses at Penn State had been one of many strengths of the staff, and whereas he did not have a lot success as a head coach, he is a wonderful defensive coordinator.
If he does return to VT as a coordinator, it ought to go higher than his first stint in Blacksburg. Pry getting focus his full efforts and power on the defensive aspect of the ball whereas Franklin runs the present has a robust monitor document of success.
