It’s funny how life comes full circle. In the early 1990’s, current Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry tried multiple times to be a graduate assistant for the Hokies football team. His persistence finally paid off, and it laid the foundation for Pry to become first an outstanding defensive coordinator for many years, and now a head coach – at that very school that denied him several times.
Here he is, almost 30 years later, laying a new foundation, but it is rooted in what he learned the last time he was in Blacksburg.
Persistence and Tenacity from the Young Pry
Brent Pry’s initial position as a graduate assistant required a lot of effort on his part to even land the job. The path he took to Blacksburg, though, has an odd feel of one that seems to be part of a larger fate, like it was meant to be.
It all started with connections. Prior to Brian Stinespring’s long tenure at Virginia Tech, Stiney coached football and wrestling at nearby Lexington High School while Pry was a student there. After graduating from the University of Buffalo, Pry took his first coaching job with his father at East Stroudsburg. During that time, he kept in touch with Stinespring, who had by then been coaching at Virginia Tech for a few years.
At that time, Tech only had one GA on each side of the ball. Stinespring helped connect the young coach with Billy Hite, and Pry kept sending resumes and cover letters to Hite for a few years. Finally, in 1995, he was hired as a GA at Virginia Tech!
“It was a long time coming. It was something I really wanted for myself,” Pry admitted of the first time he worked in Blacksburg. “I had been passionate about Virginia Tech for a long time.” His strong feelings for this job were evident by the efforts he made to get it. His perseverance paid off, and it was a sign of things to come for Pry, whose defenses have always shown a similar tenacity.
Passion Coupled with Loyalty
Brent Pry enjoyed his first two years on the Virginia Tech staff, doing something he loved at a place that felt like home. But like most promising young coaches, he had a chance to leave for bigger opportunities elsewhere.
Pry was offered a few full-time coaching positions after year two in Blacksburg, but he turned them down to stay at Tech. He had been working under defensive line coaches Todd Grantham and then Charley Wiles, and he appreciated learning from them and the environment he was in.
He also had started to work more closely with Bud Foster, and he really wanted to take advantage of that opportunity, which would have been lost had Pry left for another school.
And of course, Pry wanted to impress. “Obviously I always wanted to do a good job for Coach Foster and his staff,” he said. Great leaders inspire others to be their best, and clearly this was the case with Foster and his coaches. Pry was part of a great culture and he was taking it all in.
Lessons from the Legend
When asked to recall individual moments with Coach Foster that proved influential, Pry could not identify just one. What stands out instead is the collective experience under Foster.
As Pry explained, it was “three years of going to lunch together, of seeing his consideration of others, of seeing his commitment to the process and the work that needed to be done,” that Pry recalled as so profound. It was daily interactions with Foster, observing how he treated people and treated his staff, including the young GA.
There are some aspect of working under Bud Foster that still stand out, however. Pry was specifically impressed with how Foster emphasized details. He had a very thorough approach, day in and day out. This helped Pry develop his own core belief in coaching defense: the value of fundamentals. He noted that one requirement of playing great defense is “relying on fundamentals and not just talking that talk, but truly believing that fundamentals are the key to great defense.”
Pry also learned a lot from Foster about mentality. That is another core belief that stayed with him all those years as a great defensive coordinator. “You coach mentality with your unit as hard as you coach anything else.”
Lessons from the 95 Team
During his work with Tech in those early years, Pry learned great lessons in overcoming adversity. He specifically remembers the Miami game in 1995. The Hokies were ranked in the preseason but had two disappointing losses to open. Next up was Miami, and the Hokies were 0-12 all-time against the Hurricanes.
The week of practice leading up to the game and the game itself made lasting impressions on the young Pry. “The way Coach (Beamer) handled it and the way Bud handled it,” he remembered, “just stay together and battle back and find a way to beat a good Miami team and get on that run.”
It was a turning point for the 95 team, for the program, and for Pry himself. “It’s certainly impactful in my life,” he revealed.
Pry also noted the value of leadership on that 1995 squad. “There were some great leaders on that team,” he said. “A ton of leadership and confidence.” Pry witnessed how guys on both sides of the ball stepped up during practices and during games. “They weren’t going to wilt and wither as times got tough.”
These early lessons from the coaches and the players of those Virginia Tech teams helped lay the foundation for the coach that Brent Pry would become.
An Influential Staff at Tech
In addition to the legendary coaches Beamer and Foster, Pry recalled other members of the 1995-97 coaching staff that made an impact on him as a young student of the game. Pry built a great relationship (there’s that word again!) with offensive coordinator Ricky Bustle. He would eventually reunite with Bustle as his defensive coordinator at Louisiana-Lafayette, Pry’s first time as a DC!
He also remained close with Stinespring and Hite. And he had a great relationship with longtime administrator John Ballein. These men provided great guidance for the young coach.
Another significant influence was Jim Cavanaugh, who was a good mentor to Pry. He recalled a lot of great conversations with Coach Cav, who was very good at communicating with Pry. “If I wasn’t doing something the right way or needed to do something better, he’d be sure to let me know.”
Lessons in Recruiting
Cavanaugh also had a tremendous impact on Pry as a recruiter. For those who do not know, Coach Cav was an excellent recruiter for Virginia Tech, having signed numerous players who went on to have great performances at Tech. Some of those high level recruits include guys like Tyrod Taylor, Xavier Adibi, Duane Brown, Macho Harris, and Marcus Vick.
Pry easily recited what made Cavanaugh so great at recruiting. “He was very, very thorough. He recruited at a high level.” Those signees are evidence of that. It was his meticulous effort and attention to detail that stood out, though. “There was no stone unturned, and Coach Cav was great at that.”
That time with Cavanaugh helped lay the groundwork for Pry to become a great recruiter. It only got better when he began working with James Franklin first at Vanderbilt then at Penn State. They had to learn how to recruit players at Vanderbilt to compete in the SEC. They also had to revamp the PSU program that was still rebounding from the Sandusky scandal. So they had their work cut out for them.
In those 12 years together, Pry and Franklin flourished, bringing in high quality players to both programs. In his later years at Penn State, Pry recruited the state of Virginia very well, often signing the top talent to come to Happy Valley. “Not everybody understands the level that is necessary to recruit four and five star guys,” he said, but clearly, after his work with both Cavanaugh and Franklin, Brent Pry certainly does!
It is paying off already in year two at Virginia Tech. Earlier this summer there was a flurry of recruiting news when several prominent in-state recruits committed to Virginia Tech. “The needle is moving in the right direction,” Pry admitted. But he was cautionary as well, noting that there is still work to do. “We’ve got to stack good classes on top of good classes.” The momentum is building for Pry and his staff to do just that.
Evidence of That First VT Experience in This Go-Round
Brent Pry is obviously building his own program at Virginia Tech. However, it is clear that his first experience in Blacksburg has been influential in what he is creating. At a recent media day press conference, He outlined the five fundamentals that are part of his program, five fundamentals that are emphasized every day. He discusses them – accountability, communication, competition, details, and mentality – in this video:
Accountability.
Communication.
Competition.
Details.
Mentality.#ThisIsHome | @CoachPryVT pic.twitter.com/aPLq4ja5vs— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) August 8, 2023
Just look at that list and listen to Pry speak. It sounds familiar, doesn’t it? (If not, then scroll up and reread this article!)
Progress With His Team
Coach Pry believes his team is making progress in the areas of fundamentals and mentality. But he also knows that change does not happen overnight. Players – and coaches – need thousands of reps, through the spring, the summer, and in season. When referencing the great Penn State athletes that played for him, he quickly noted that they had been in the system fine tuning their craft for 3 to 5 years. With a roster loaded with underclassmen, he is hopeful that repetition will pay off over time.
His goal is to win conference championships and play in big bowl games. His coaches are working hard and his players are excited. But like he said, it does not happen overnight. It will help with everyone – from the fans to the players – “fully understanding the effort and the magnitude that is necessary to pour into this thing to make it happen.”
Be patient Tech fans. Although Pry and company seem to be ahead of schedule on the recruiting trail, rebuilding a program takes time. There is a lot of youth on this team, and the future looks bright. Stay behind your coach and team and continue to support them on their journey back to the top of the ACC mountain!
Appreciative of the Hokie Nation – and Vice Versa
It is well documented that Pry credits Beamer and Foster for showing him the value in treating people the right way. He says it a lot. But do you know what? Pry walks the walk. He welcomes back alumni, he engages with them and the fanbase, he makes effort to be visible via social media. He attends local and alumni meetings, “shaking hands and kissing babies.” He knows how much that means to Hokie Nation.
And he values what the fanbase does for his program. “It takes all of us, and I appreciate what everybody is pouring into this thing. How big or how small the effort is, it all matters.”
Don’t just take my word for it. I mean, I am a solid example of the effort that Coach Pry makes to connect with alumni and fans. He took time out of his very busy schedule to talk to me the day after he returned from the ACC Football media kickoff in Charlotte.
But Pry makes that kind of effort regularly with the local media. That is the real Pry, and he is like that with everyone, not just the media. Listen to this video from Chantel Lovett, mother of freshman cornerback Dante Lovett. Chantel is real in expressing her feelings of the coaching staff and the program, the culture that Pry has created. This is powerful coming from a mother of a newcomer to the program and is worth the few minutes to watch:
Hey Y’all,
Had to take a moment to answer a question a lot of you are asking me in my DM’s @Coach_Marve @CoachPryVT @CoachdjCheetah @CoachPrioleauVT @Coach_Mines @jcprice59 @VTScoop247 @VTRecruiting24 @Triumph_NIL @HokiesFB pic.twitter.com/HhyciSysrU— Chantel Lovett (@chantel_lovett) June 27, 2023
Final Thoughts on Virginia Tech Head Coach Brent Pry and What He is Building
Brent Pry’s return to Blacksburg, this time as head coach, has injected hope and excitement into this fan base. His enthusiasm and energy are infectious, and the way he engages the students, alumni, and fans has been a breath of fresh air.
The Hokies had one head coach – Frank Beamer – for almost three decades. I honestly think that we as a fanbase did not really know what we had that was so special until we didn’t have it anymore. And now that we have experienced a coaching staff that did not align with our culture, we have a better understanding of what we need.
Brent Pry knows that too. He experienced it firsthand as a graduate assistant from 1995-97, and now he is building his own foundation from what he experienced in his first go-round in Blacksburg. Hokie fans have reason to be hopeful, and Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry is fueling that fervor.
Embrace it Hokie Nation, but be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Pry Gets It ™ https://t.co/1etzb18NjF
— Treadmill Horse (@treadmillhorse) August 15, 2023
We hear it over and over: “Pry gets it.” Yes he does. He knows the culture and embraces it. He knows that “This is Home.” And in coming full circle in his career, he has returned home to build his own culture and program, one that is influenced by the past but looking forward to the future, and one that give us hope that Virginia Tech will again compete for championships.
It feels like it is meant to be.
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