Everything From Head Coach Brent Pry After Virginia Tech Practice On Wednesday

Brent Pry is entering his third season as head coach.

Nov 4, 2023; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Brent Pry watches from the sideline during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Louisville defeated Virginia Tech 34-3. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports / Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Brent Pry has had to work with growing expectations in the Virginia Tech football program, and addressed the media after practice.

Here’s everything Brent Pry had to say:

Question: You moved practice today up to those fields. What was the reasoning behind that?

Brent Pry: Yeah, we felt like it would be more similar to what we'll get in Nashville. Field turf outside in the sun, no element of shade. Just a little change of scenery, a little bit hotter up there than it would be down here.

Question: Do you guys measure how much hotter?

Brent Pry: We do.

Question: How much?

Brent Pry: Yeah, it was 9-10 degrees hotter up there than it would have been down here.

Question: Do you plan on going back up there a few more times before the season starts?

Brent Pry: I think so. You know, it has to time up right, the days that we can do it. The band was good enough to work with us; I think they're going to use our facility at one point. But it's got to time up with our schedules, it's got to be a hot enough day to make it worth it. But I thought the kids responded really well, and the whole staff—moving our whole operation up there—is not easy, and I thought it was worth it today.

Question: Was that the first day you've done that?

Brent Pry: First day we've done that, yes sir.

Question: And is just the change of scenery kind of nice?

Brent Pry: Yeah, absolutely it is. I think the guys, once they got up there, there was a little bit of extra excitement because it was something different.

Question: How much does the prep for band ball start to slowly kick in? I know there's still over two weeks until the game, and obviously, things like that, you know, it seems like you guys are starting at least to do little things to prepare.

Brent Pry: Yeah, you know, we're trying to think ahead and make sure we make good decisions. You can't wait until the last minute, so heat acclimation and the things we can do to help our team be best prepared—we're going to do that. I think the other piece is, you know, the players don't always know it, but there are certain elements of people's offense, or defensive, or even special team structure that need a little more attention. So you start weaving it in a little bit earlier in camp than maybe you would their base stuff, to make sure you get some extra reps at it.

Question: We saw an O-line up there: Ghannam at left guard, Braelin at center and Kaden at right guard. Is that a lineup or look you're considering more recently?

Brent Pry: Yeah, I think, you know, we're still exploring some options. We're still in a mini-camp that allows us to do that. You know, Layth... we've been talking about him. He's been getting better and better. He had a setback with a minor injury; he missed a couple of days, so we would have done it sooner. But, you know, Bob's battling his butt off, Brody's battling his butt off, Brody's playing guard and tackle, you know, Kaden's playing center and guard, which we know he’s got a history starting at guard. And, you know, Braelin is our backup center, and the more experience he can get there... we're still just figuring out what our best lineup is really going to look like. Who's the best five we can put out there that can work the best together?

Question: Does Ghannam profile better at guard, considering what you brought in with Lynch, who looked about as tall as Chaplin and is about that size?

Brent Pry: Well, yeah, I think so. Layth, to me, is a true swing guy just because he's so athletic. But his body stature probably fits more to guard.

Question: Do you feel like you're closer to figuring out a linebacker rotation?

Brent Pry: Yeah, I mean, it's challenging. I mean, you know, from Keli to JK to Sam to JMac. He had a good day today, I thought. You know, Caleb Woodson's playing in there. It's a good problem to have. I mean, it's a competitive group, and they all want to roll out there in the first group, but they also know that at least four of those guys are going to play a ton of football.

Question: You had Keli at Will in the past. I think we saw him at Star out there today. Is there a better spot for him in your mind?

Brent Pry: Yeah, I think he's really talented at both. He's got good instincts at Will; he's learning the Star position right now. But his length and range out there... I've had a couple of guys like that—you wouldn't think they would be a fit out there, but, you know, Keli's athletic, he's smart, plays really hard, and he's got great range. So, you know, again, I think we've talked about... we're always going to train our linebackers to, for the most part, learn two spots, and Keli's certainly capable.

Question: What does it mean to have one of the greatest linebackers in Xavier Adibi now on staff?

Brent Pry: Ah, we're so fortunate. The combination of Chris and Xavier, you know, working with those guys—we're just fortunate. You know, Xavier brings a wealth of experience. I mean, he's not a rookie coach; this guy's been around for a while, he's coached a lot of football, and he certainly played it at the highest level and was very successful at it. So, the combination of those guys, particularly with the new rules where Coach Adibi is able to do more and have a bigger impact out there, you know, that's good for us.

Question: Will you designate a number two quarterback at some point?

Brent Pry: Yeah, we will.

Question: How's the battle?

Brent Pry: It's good. Yeah, it's good. I think, you know, we get excited about Collin, and then Pop comes back off a minor injury and has a couple of good days and makes some good plays. It's going to be interesting over the next week here.

Question: Is the spotlight on the single quarterback position? Can you go up until game week and make a decision then?

Brent Pry: Or do you—I don't know. You know, me, T-Bow, and Coach Chris will talk about it. I mean, I wouldn't—I’d hope we could make a decision before that. I really want things settled, whether it's linebacker, safety, backup quarterback, going into that game week. You really want to know where you're at, let people practice in the rotation and in the position where they're going to play when we go to Nashville.

Question: You bring up safety. Those... Phillips, Jaylen Jones, kind of working for probably that boundary side. What have they shown today along with the younger guy Quintin Reddish getting some burn there?

Brent Pry: Yeah, I think you're talking about the top four right there, you know, with Stro and Mose and Jay Jones, and what the young guy Quinton Reddish is doing. You know, they got to keep coming. Jaylen Jones has made some big improvements. He's always been a really good cover guy, but he's tackling better. He's also learned nickel, and he's also learned corner. He's the one guy on the defense that's got three spots right now he can line up at.

Question: Do you think Quinton or even Josh Clark could prototype or fit that role on special teams like Braylon, Dante, Caleb Woodson stepped into last year?

Brent Pry: Yeah, there's some of those guys that will. Josh is smart. He's talented. We're very excited about him. He's got safety traits and corner traits. You know, Quinton's probably further along; he's gotten more reps, legitimate reps, with the first and second group, and he's certainly going to play for us. But all those guys, those first and second guys, we've got to be more competitive on special teams. I'm not talking about our specialists; I'm not talking about our snappers. Everybody else, you know, we have to elevate that unit as much as anywhere on our football team right now.

Question: Has Caleb Spencer stepped into that unit and made a big impact?

Brent Pry: Yeah, he's... you know, I don't know if it's a big impact, but he's certainly penciled in at some starting spots. He's showing up, he's getting more comfortable, he's got good mentality, he's got some quickness, some suddenness, and he's tough, and he learns it. So he'll help us this year in some way, shape, or form.

Question: You brought up Bryan Chris. You've known him for what, 30 years? Been with him since 1995 as a graduate assistant on staff at Buffalo? What have you seen in his development from being where he was when you were here as a graduate assistant to where he is now?

Brent Pry: Ah, he's grown so much. You know, he's had some great experiences. He's been a play-caller, he's been a quarterback guy, he's been a wideout guy, he's been around good coaches. You know, he's been like myself—you know, you're hired, you're fired, you've been through the gamut in this business. And he's got a great family. He loves Virginia Tech, they're a Blacksburg family, and he's a great complement to Coach Bowen and has really helped impact our quarterback room.

Brent Pry: Alright, thanks, guys.