Brent Pry Reportedly Signs Va Tech DC Contract, Was Fired Before James Franklin Deal

Brent Pry isn't leaving Virginia Tech after all.

On3's Pete Nakos and ESPN's Adam Rittenberg reported the Hokies are hiring Pry as their defensive coordinator to work under James Franklin.

Virginia Tech fired Pry after an 0-3 start to the 2025 season, which paved the way for the school to eventually land Franklin.

Perhaps this is the start of a wider trend. ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Saturday that Mississippi State is looking to bring Zach Arnett back as defensive coordinator after firing him as head coach.

In the case of Virginia Tech, keeping Pry on the staff makes sense if he maintained a strong relationship with the players despite the three straight defeats to open the year. Granted, that didn't seem to be the case from the outside when the Hokies lost to Old Dominion by 19 points in what proved to be his final game.

Pry has already worked under Franklin before as well.

Franklin first hired him in 2011 after getting the Vanderbilt job and then took him to Happy Valley when he went to Penn State ahead of the 2014 season.

Virginia Tech was 16-24 with Pry in charge, so he probably wasn't going to land on his feet with another head-coaching gig during this cycle. Coaching the Hokies defense gives him a better pathway to that if he aspires to be an FBS head coach again.

The inevitable roster churn from the transfer portal might also allay the fears about the impact inside the locker room after re-hiring a coach you fired months ago.