BLACKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Tech is a familiar place for Brent Pry, who turned 56 years old today. This season marks his eighth with the university in some capacity. From 1995 to 1997, a then-much younger Pry served as a graduate assistant with the Hokies, after being the linebackers coach at East Stroudsburg (DII) — where current Virginia Tech head whistle James Franklin played.
Twenty-five years after leaving his graduate assistant role, Pry returned in 2022 as Virginia Tech’s head whistle, taking his outright first head coaching job with the Hokies gig and replacing Justin Fuente. In his first season, the team went 3-8. One year later, Virginia Tech went 7-6 with first-year starter Kyron Drones under center, raising an added layer of optimism for how the 2024 season could unfold.
Unfortunately, that season was defined by missed opportunities. The Hokies, who ultimately went 6-7 and lost the Duke’s Mayo Bowl to Minnesota, lost five one-score games, including a 38-34 heartbreaker to Miami to open conference play. In 2025, Virginia Tech lost its first three games, falling to South Carolina (24-11), Vanderbilt (44-20) and Old Dominion (45-26). After the loss to the Monarchs, where Virginia Tech trailed 31-0 in the third quarter, Pry was fired the following day…