Long before Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin strutted with a whistle on the sidelines, he stood under center for Division III’s East Stroudsburg University. Franklin only played two seasons with the team, but in that short time, he developed a lasting bond with his offensive coordinator. That was the start of something special, something that brought an explosive defensive revolution in the Big 10 for six years.

Brent Pry is the son of James Franklin’s East Stroudsburg offensive coordinator, Jim Pry, and the duo shares a connection that dates back 30 years. That connection was the reason Franklin hired Brent Pry as his DC at Penn State, and the duo together spent eight years with the team. That mutual understanding was also the reason Franklin chose to retain Brent Pry as DC, after Virginia Tech fired him last year.

“I can’t find or think of a time that it’s happened, at least in my 30 years,” James Franklin said about hiring a fired head coach to the same team on Adam Breneman’s May 7 podcast. “I think what you talk about is the humility, right? The type of humility that you have to have to do that is impressive. I couldn’t have done it. There’s a lot of history there. There’s trust with me. And there’s trust for him.”

When James Franklin was a collegiate QB from 1991 to 1994, Brent Pry was also showing his defensive dominance, playing as a safety at Buffalo. Not only did Franklin get to know Brent off the field through his offensive coordinator father, but he also got a chance to see his on-field dominance when his team faced Buffalo in 1991. After concluding his playing career, Pry joined his father’s staff at East Stroudsburg in 1993 and even coached Franklin in his senior season.

“I think my junior year in college. We played at Buffalo against Brent when he was playing at the University of Buffalo,” Franklin said. “His dad was my offense coordinator in college. So, we go back 30 years, right? Our relationship, you know, Brent’s first year coaching was my senior year at East Rouseburg… It goes in both directions, not just with us, but with our wives and our children, all of it.”

After working at several programs, Brent Pry joined Franklin’s staff when he became Vanderbilt’s head coach in 2011. Pry became the team’s Co-DC and LBs coach, and from then on, the duo’s on-field relationship flourished like Batman and Robin. Coaching linebackers at Vanderbilt, Pry’s unit led the team in tackles for loss during all three seasons before he followed Franklin to Vanderbilt. And then started the duo’s Big 10 dominance.

Brent Pry and James Franklin are trying to return to their PSU dominance

Penn State under James Franklin routinely produced 10+ win seasons, and Brent Pry’s defenses, which finished top-10 almost every year, were the prime reason. In just his first season as Penn State’s DC, Pry helped PSU win the Big Ten title in 2016, despite significant injuries to his linebacker unit. It was then obvious that Franklin’s assistant meant business in the Big 10, and every coach braced for the storm that Pry was about to unleash.

Pry’s Penn State tenure became synonymous with dominant, physical, and highly efficient defenses, highlighted by leaders like All-Big 10 LB Jason Cabinda. Who can forget when the Nittany Lions’ two players, Amani Oruwariye and Gross Matos, made it to the 2018 All-Big Ten First team? Considering the explosive history, it was natural for James Franklin to convince his old pal to stay in Blacksburg, despite his firing. But for the former VT head coach, the decision wasn’t easy.

“This one was a little bit different, obviously,” Pry said about his decision to return to Virginia Tech as DC. “But I wanted it to be right for me, for my wife, for him. He needed to get boots on the ground once he accepted the position and make sure it was what he would want to do. So, it took a little bit of soul-searching to find peace with it. But I wanted to be able to walk back in the building and be myself, be positive, and be appreciative. We got to that place.”

James Franklin has arrived with a dominant recruiting and transfer portal class at Virginia Tech. He led VT to a 29th-ranked class this year, which was unranked when he arrived. His transfer class, with 27 portal players, ranks 6th nationally and features players like Que’Sean Brown and Luke Reynolds. Many expect Franklin to dominate in his first year, and with the old guard in Brent Pry, it might not be unreasonable to assume it.

“I know this place is better today because of Brent and the commitment that he made,” Franklin said.

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