Speculation mounts on CFB coach’s return to school that fired him

College football coach Brent Pry checks on an injured wide receiver | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Former Penn state and Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin has just signed on to lead the Virginia Tech football program. As he gets settled in Blacksburg, could the long-time Nittany Lion coach tap an old friend and familiar Virginia Tech face to help lead a new staff? Some fans and reporters believe so.

Franklin was one of several midseason head coaching casualties during the 2025 college football season, joining Brent Pry, who Virginia Tech let go following a 0-3 start to their season. Interestingly enough, Pry is a devout Franklin disciple by resume. The former Hokie head coach linked up with James Franklin back in 2011, his first season at Vanderbilt, and didn't leave his side until accepting the Virginia Tech job ahead of the 2022 season.

One Penn State reporter, Tyler Donohue, noted the connection between Franklin and Pry and said he believed a reunion between the longtime partners was likely before Franklin wound up taking the Virginia Tech job. "Brent Pry would've been my projected defensive coordinator pick for James Franklin at any other job," he commented shortly after the hire.

There were a slew of posts from Penn State and Virginia Tech fans either poking fun at a potential Brent Pry return to the Hokie sidelines, as a DC under Franklin, or downright asking for it. After all, the man who was just recently fired as the Virginia Tech head coach still appears to have a support base among Hokie fans.

Dave Scarangella, who claims he's "been called Grandpa of Hokie Twitter," posted on X that he believes Pry likely helped grease the wheels for James Franklin's hire, given his relationship with the new VT program and its new coach. "Thank you, Brent Pry," Scarangella wrote on X. "From what I’ve heard, you were the unsung hero behind the scenes that was a key to this all getting across the goal line…"

Former Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Another Blacksburg fixture, Joe Rogers, AKA the "Mayor of Don V Fridays," expressed various praises of Brent Pry on his own X account. "Keeping BrentPry around as an analyst/ recruiter would be a great idea," he tweeted after news broke of the James Franklin hire. He also tweeted out that Pry was seen in an establishment in the state of Virginia, watching the Hokies and cheering the program on.

"Brent Pry was seen in Charlotte at The Local on Friday, watching and supporting the Hokies," Rogers wrote in late October. "A source close to the situation indicates that he was cheering loudly when the Hokies won a one-score game."

Sharp Football writer/editor Raymond Summerlin commented that it "would be so funny if (James Franklin) brings back Brent Pry as his defensive coordinator." Even a popular fan account, CFBTalkDaily, threw out the idea of Pry coming on as a DC with Franklin's new staff. "Hopefully Franklin brings back Pry as DC," the account said in an X post.

That's a lot of different accounts, legitimate and total fans, calling out the very real possibility of Brent Pry re-connecting with James Franklin. When you consider that Pry spent a dozen seasons with James Franklin between Vanderbilt and Penn State, you can see why it appears so possible.