It’s often surprising how things come full circle in college football. On the Triple Option podcast, Urban Meyer pointed out that Brent Pry returning to Virginia Tech as defensive coordinator after being the head coach might actually be a first in college football history. Usually, when a head coach gets let go, they pack their bags and never look back. Why would they settle for a lesser title, right? However, James Franklin admitted that even he didn’t think a comeback like this was possible, and the whole idea completely caught him off guard at first.

Brent Pry and James Franklin’s bond spans 30 years, as Pry’s dad coached Franklin in college. Later, Pry ran defenses for Franklin at Vanderbilt and Penn State for 11 seasons. Since they’ve spent over a decade working side-by-side, that deep bond made a potentially tough, awkward conversation a whole lot easier for both of them.

Before the Virginia Tech job opened, Pry and Franklin had discussed teaming up at other programs. But once the Virginia Tech opportunity turned into a real reality, Franklin assumed Pry wouldn’t want to stay in Blacksburg under a new boss. When Franklin asked him for defensive coordinator recommendations, Pry shocked him by saying, ‘Hey, what about me?’

Franklin admitted on Triple Option: “It kind of caught me off guard.” He doubled down and revealed Pry’s decision was a huge personal sacrifice to put his daughters first.

“Part of it was, Coach, you know, his family was going to stay based on where his girls (Madeline and Catherine) are in school; they were going to stay for another year, so they would have been separate as a family, so that was part of it. That was part of it. The other part is his love for Virginia Tech and his appreciation for the place.”

If Pry had taken a coaching job elsewhere, he would have been forced to live away from his family. The 54-year-old admitted on the podcast that he probably couldn’t have done it himself, and most coaches’ egos would never allow them to walk past their old head coaching office every single day.

However, Pry put his pride to the side. Any awkwardness melted away during the first team meeting when Franklin introduced him and the roster gave him a standing ovation. Beyond the feel-good narrative, Pry’s return delivered a strategic advantage.

James Franklin reaps the benefits of hiring Brent Pry

Once a new head coach comes to a program, one of the biggest challenges is identifying and retaining talent. The transfer portal has made it much easier for players to leave whenever they want. The head coach only gets so much time to evaluate the roster and make sure the best players don’t slip through their hands.

However, since Pry already knew every single player on the team, he was able to tell Franklin exactly which players they absolutely had to keep and who they could afford to let leave.

This insider knowledge allowed the new coaching staff to bypass the usual learning curve and hit the ground running.