When Virginia Tech hired James Franklin as their next football coach, they did so, having him replace Brent Pry. He was replacing his former Penn State defensive coordinator, who left State College to head to Blacksburg after Justin Fuente was fired.
Pry's tenure was one that didn't go the way that he or anyone had hoped. He was fired after a Week 3 loss at home to Old Dominion. Two months after he was fired, Franklin was hired after he was fired in October at Penn State. During his introductory press conference, Franklin laid the groundwork for Pry to return to Virginia Tech if he chose to do so.
In December, Pry was brought back by Franklin to his position as defensive coordinator, which makes for an awkward situation. Halfway through spring practices, Franklin gave an update on how things are going with Pry.
James Franklin gives Brent Pry update as defensive coordinator
On Tuesday after practice, Franklin was asked how things are going with Pry as his defensive coordinator this spring.
"Smoother than I would have thought,'' said Franklin. "Really, this whole process, he's handled it unbelievably well. He hasn't skipped a beat. I haven't seen any days where I feel like he's working through things; he just jumped right back in the saddle, being the defensive coordinator, being the head coach of the defense.''
It is not surprising that it is going well. Franklin and Pry have had a long coaching relationship and know each other inside and out, and what they're thinking. However, with a new offensive coordinator in Ty Howle, Franklin has been spending more time on that side of the ball than on the defensive side, thanks to Pry.
"One of the lessons that I learned is I'm more involved in the offense than I've been in a while, and having Brent over on defense makes you feel really good about doing that,'' said Franklin. "So, that's been helpful for me, knowing that that area is taken care of. I still pop in there from time to time.''
It still doesn't feel right that Pry was fired in September and rehired in December at Virginia Tech. If two people make this work and not awkward, it's Pry and Franklin.