Brent Pry explains why he gave up defensive play-calling duties after difficult Year 1

For the first time in his career, Brent Pry put on a headset as the head coach. Before Virginia Tech came calling, his entire coaching tenure had been spent as an assistant coach. Including the past 11 seasons, which were spent as a defensive coordinator at various programs. According to Pry, seven or eight of those were spent as the play caller.

Pry decided he was still going to call plays for Virginia Tech in 2022. As many first-time head coaches do, he learned the difficulty of doing so while attempting to maintain hit HC duties. As he puts it, there are just another set of curveballs he has to learn to hit on a daily basis.

“I think being the defensive coordinator and the head coach,” Pry said at the 2023 ACC Football Kickoff. “As the DC for a bunch of years, you have a system, you have a thought process, and it just kind of rolls out and you know how to hit curveballs, you’ve hit them before.

“And when you’re doing that, that’s well and fine. But when you’re also the head coach and you’re hitting those curveballs [as well], I think I was probably not the best head coach I could be and not the best DC I could be.”

Brent Pry to give up defensive play calling

As Pry attempts to balance being a head coach better, he will be giving up defensive play-calling duties in 2023. Defensive coordinator Chris Marve will be taking over full-time after getting a game’s worth of experience last season.

Pry will still be involved defensively — it’s his bread and butter. But getting in huddles with special teams and even the offense is important to Pry, hoping to be the best head coach he can be for Virginia Tech.

“I’m excited moving forward, I’m excited for Chris Marve and the defensive staff, really a quality group, high football IQ, good experiences,” Pry said. “They understand what we need to be defensively, what it needs to look like, the things that are important to playing good defense.

“Just in that last ball game against Liberty, I really enjoyed being just a head coach, being mixed up with special teams, being on the horn with [offensive coordinator Tyler] Bowen and talking to the offensive huddle. That’s who I need to be.”

Liberty wound up being Virginia Tech’s season finale, ending the year on a high note. Marve called defensive plays and held Hugh Freeze’s squad to just 22 points. The Flames were held well below their season average from a yarage standpoint, having 332 total yards.

Snapping a seven-game losing streak is never a bad audition for Marve either. The moment was something he was preparing for all season, not knowing it was ever going to come. Marve was ready once called on and delivered in a big way.

“When I said he’s prepared each and every week to call the game, even though he knew he wasn’t going to, my hat off to him,” Pry said. “He prepared all season long for this. When he got the opportunity at Liberty, he did a great job.”

Maybe the solid performance will make giving up plays easier for Pry but he’s still going to miss play-calling.

“I have a strong passion for defense and calling those plays,” Pry said. “I love it. And I’ll get the shakes when I walk by that room sometimes. But I got a lot of trust in those guys and I am very excited about what they’re going to do.

“I’m excited about the staff, excited about the defensive players. Chris Marve, I’m telling you, he’s an outstanding, young football coach.”

Chris Marve the player coming through in coaching world

Pry and Marve go further back than spending just one season in Blacksburg. When Pry was the defensive coordinator at Vanderbilt under James Franklin, Marve was in his senior season as a linebacker.

The same qualities Pry saw Marve display as a player are now coming out as a coach. Just another example of the coach’s faith in Marve as the defensive coordinator and play caller.

“He was a great player at Vanderbilt for us, he was our captain,” Pry said. “Everything I saw in him as a player, it’s come to fruition. He’s a leader, he’s got mindset, mentality. His approach, he’s genuine, he’s hardworking.”