Over the last week, James Franklin has been busy putting together his staff at Virginia Tech. He has gone back to his Penn State roots to bring some assistants to Blacksburg, while also he is reportedly bringing back Brent Pry, who was fired three months ago as head coach, as his defensive coordinator.
There were some coaches on Pry's staff that fans were hoping was going to be retained. On Saturday night, it was reported that wide receivers coach Fontel Mines and offensive line coach Matt Moore were being retained by Franklin. Those two coming back are big, given how well their units played in 2025. Let's not overlook the recruiting Mines has done for Virginia Tech.
Last week, cornerbacks coach Derek Jones announced on his X account that he was leaving Virginia Tech, which didn't come as a surprise. On Sunday night, the Hokies are losing another former Pry assistant coach, and it's a rather big subtraction.
Elijah Brooks announces he's leaving Virginia Tech
Running backs coach Elijah Brooks has done a tremendous job with the Hokies program, and most recently, he developed Bhayshul Tuten into an NFL running back, while overseeing the breakout 2025 seasons of freshman Jeffrey Overton, Jr., when he was healthy, and Central Missouri transfer Marcellous Hawkins. Both are players Franklin would love to retain.
However, Brooks won't be returning to be part of Franklin's staff. He announced on his X account that after three years, he's excited for his next chapter.
"Thank you VT for a wonderful 3 years! Can’t thank my colleagues, players, and fans enough! Wish you all the best! Excited for my next chapter,'' Brooks wrote.
This is a huge loss as Brooks has been a valuable part of Pry's staff for the last three years, and as part of Philip Montgomery's staff after Pry was fired. It won't take long for him to find a new home, if he doesn't already have something lined up.