Brent Pry: Narrative that the ACC is down is 'a bunch of bull'

The ACC is perceived to be well behind the SEC and Big Ten by most national college football analysts. However, Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry doesn’t see it that way.

Pry, who has previously worked as an assistant in the SEC and Big Ten, believes that the ACC is much better than it gets credit for.

“I think it’s a bunch of bull,” Brent Pry said Saturday morning on Marty and McGee. “I’ve been in the SEC. I’ve been in the Big Ten. I’ve been in the ACC. I love this league.

“We’ve got tradition. We’ve got academics. We’ve got great college towns. We’ve got great weather. We’ve got great proximity. And I’m going to be honest with you, we’ve got great skill.”

Brent Pry was the defensive coordinator under James Franklin at Vanderbilt from 2011-13, before following Franklin over to Penn State when Franklin left to be the head coach there.

In 2022, Pry was hired as the head coach at Virginia Tech, returning to the place where he was a grad assistant in the 1990s. When he came to the ACC, he was surprised by just how much talent is in the league.

“I mean, I was a little bit surprised, first year in the league, second year in the league — the quarterback play, the receiver play. It’s a really, really good league,” Pry said. “I think the narrative, I think we’re misrepresented. I think we can do a better job there and I think we are. But there’s good coaches in this league. There’s good skill. We’ve got talented linemen. We’ve got competitive schedules.”

Brent Pry admits that for too long everything was on Clemson to represent the ACC nationally. However, as he pointed out, there are plenty of other really good teams in the ACC heading into the 2024 season that appear ready to make some noise.

“Strong Virginia Tech, strong Miami, Florida State. I mean Clemson had to carry the torch too long by itself, you know, with some guys doing some things here and there,” Pry said. “But we’ve got more teams that I think are trending that can really help open some eyes to wear this league really is and what we’re about.”

Brent Pry is entering his third season at Virginia Tech and is coming off of a 7-6 year in 2023. The 2024 season could be a special one for the Hokies as they return the majority of their production off of last year’s roster, including star quarterback Kyron Drones.