Virginia Tech announced Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry as its new head coach on Tuesday.
Pry replaces Justin Fuente, who was out as Hokies coach as of Nov. 16 after his teams went 43-31 in six seasons.
Pry, 51, has spent the past six seasons as the Nittany Lions’ defensive coordinator and prior to that, served three seasons in the same position at Vanderbilt and one at Georgia Southern.
Penn State is ranked seventh in scoring defense this season, allowing 16.8 points per game.
“Coach Pry owns a winning track record on the football field, as well as a history of developing young men into leaders off the field and in the classroom,” Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock said. “He’s earned his way up the coaching ranks, and we believe he is the right person to lead Virginia Tech Football and to achieve the goals that we all aspire to attaining. He and his staff will aggressively recruit our region to keep in-state recruits home and attract the talent necessary to win championships in Blacksburg.”
Pry served as a graduate assistant at Virginia Tech in the mid-1990s in the early days of his 30-year coaching career.
“On behalf of (wife) Amy and our family, we are extremely grateful to President (Tim) Sands and Whit for extending us this opportunity at Virginia Tech,” Pry said. “Working for Coach (Frank) Beamer and Coach (Bud) Foster as a graduate assistant in the 1990s, I was privileged to have been a part of this program as the Hokies established themselves as a national power, consistently proving they could beat anyone in the nation.
“Even after I departed Blacksburg, I always continued to appreciate Virginia Tech, its great players, its championship teams, and its wonderful traditions from afar. The resources, facilities, university backing of Athletics, and phenomenal fan support that Virginia Tech enjoys made this a very desirable situation.”
The Hokies finished 6-6 after beating Virginia, 29-24, last week. Defensive line coach J.C. Price will serve as interim coach in their bowl game.
