On Wednesday morning, Virginia Tech officially introduced James Franklin as their next head football coach. Five weeks after getting fired at Penn State, Franklin took the stage at Cassell Coliseum to be formally introduced.
In late 2021, Brent Pry was hired at Virginia Tech to replace the outgoing Justin Fuente. Pry was Franklin's defensive coordinator at Penn State before he was hired in Blacksburg to lead the Hokies program. He was tasked with rebuilding the program after Fuente left.
It was an up-and-down tenure for Pry before he was fired in September. He was not able to get the program where he wanted to. It wasn't for lack of effort. He clearly poured all of his time and effort into the job, but it just didn't work out. When Franklin spoke at his press conference, he got emotional when talking about his former DC and taking over for him.
James Franklin gets emotional talking about Brent Pry
Franklin didn't mince words about his former assistant coach and admitted that he even leaned on him about the job. He got emotional when discussing Pry and what he meant to him, not only as a coach, but as a friend.
"Brent Pry is a good friend,'' Franklin said. "Brent's dad was my offensive coordinator in college, I've known Brent for over 30 years... Brent and his family were with me at Vanderbilt all three years, and I think for our first seven years at Penn State. I got a ton of respect for Brent and his family, and I know he poured his heart and soul into this place (Virginia Tech).''
Again, Brent Pry was a very likable coach during his time in Blacksburg. He was someone that a lot of people really wanted to see succeed, but it didn't work out. Franklin getting emotional tells you how much Brent Pry means to him and what Virginia Tech means to Brent Pry.