Sources: Virginia Tech Nearing Agreement With Brent Pry for Defensive Coordinator Role

Just months after firing him as head coach, the Hokies are targeting Brent Pry to become the program's defensive coordinator under James Franklin.

Brent Pry was fired as the head coach in September, and now may become the defensive coordinator under James Franklin. / Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech is nearing an agreement to bring back Brent Pry as the program's defensive coordinator under new head coach James Franklin, sources confirm to Sports Illustrated. The deal has yet to be finalized.

Virginia Tech is nearing an agreement to bring back Brent Pry as the school's defensive coordinator under James Franklin, sources confirm to @SINow.

The deal has yet to be finalized. @mzenitz and @RJ_cfb were first to report.

— Mike McDaniel (@MikeMcDanielSI) December 7, 2025

Matt Zenitz and Richard Johnson of CBS Sports were the first to report that Virginia Tech was targeting Pry as the hire to one of the premier positions on Franklin's staff.

Pry was fired as Virginia Tech's head coach in September just three games into his fourth season on the job. He left Franklin's staff at Penn State to take the head coaching job in Blacksburg in 2022.

In addition to serving as Franklin's defensive coordinator at Penn State, Pry had also served as Franklin's defensive coordinator at Vanderbilt.

The two have a long-standing friendship, to go along with their professional relationship, as exhibited by Franklin's emotional introductory press conference at Virginia Tech when he paid tribute to Pry.

Pry went 16-24 as Virginia Tech's head coach, but authored several strong defenses at Penn State. His relationship with the existing players on Virginia Tech's defense could prove integral in holding the roster together during a time of transition with the new coaching staff.

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