Virginia Tech football: James Franklin, Brent Pry speak on Pry’s unprecedented return

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One year ago, Brent Pry was set to begin his fourth season as Virginia Tech’s head football coach. His good friend, James Franklin, was heading into his 12th season as Penn State’s coach. Franklin had national championship aspirations, coming up three points short of appearing in the championship game only months before.

When the season began in September, no one knew, but their paths would quickly come together again.

After a 0-3 start, including an embarrassing home loss to Old Dominion, Virginia Tech fired Pry. Only weeks later, Franklin was shockingly fired after a couple of embarrassing losses to fall to 3-3.

Virginia Tech fans immediately wanted Franklin to succeed Pry, which was a bit odd since the two were so close. Pry’s father was Franklin’s college offensive coordinator, and Pry would later serve as Franklin’s defensive coordinator at Vanderbilt and Penn State.

Behind the scenes, the Hokies were making big moves to make the job appealing to Franklin. One month after he was fired, Virginia Tech had its guy. The Hokies struck gold. And Franklin had a crazy idea: he didn’t want Pry leaving Blacksburg. He wanted him as Virginia Tech’s defensive coordinator.

Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports recently detailed how the Franklin/Pry partnership came back together last fall.

Pry revealed how he had other big-time opportunities, including three in the ACC. But once Franklin offered him the job, things changed quickly. How would it work when a school just fired the head coach, and his replacement wanted to immediately hire him back as a coordinator?

“There wasn’t something exactly like this,” Pry said. “It was my wife and I working through it.”

Fortunately, Franklin gave him the time and space he needed. And Pry’s love of Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, the New River Valley, and the community’s support for his family meant everything. Pry said Blacksburg High School reached out to him and his wife, Amy, to check on them, as they had two daughters in school there.

“They reached out to my wife multiple times after we got let go,” Pry said. “‘If there are any problems, if there are any issues, please call us. We want to be there for your girls.'”

That impressed not only the Prys but also Franklin.

“The people in the community were really good to his wife and kids, and that’s not always the case,” he said. “This community just treating Brent and his family fairly and showing some grace, and it allowed us to get one of the best defensive coordinators in college football.”

Pry even noted how athletic director Whit Babcock, who fired him only weeks earlier, came to his house to convince him to stay. Of course, there was some contract buyout stuff to work out, but Blacksburg was a place Pry never wanted to leave.

Pry said something interesting to Marcello.

“Honestly, it didn’t take long to slide back into DC mode,” he said. “If I’d known that it would be this comfortable this quickly, I probably would have called [plays] myself last year.” 

Remember, Pry had fired Chris Marve as defensive coordinator after the 2024 season. After what seemed like a prolonged search, he hired a name no one had heard of: Sam Siefkes.

As for returning — or remaining — in Blacksburg. It was just the right thing for Pry and his family.

Marcello’s story is an excellent read on how Franklin got the band back together. Now, it’s about returning the Hokies to prominence.

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