Tag: Brent Pry

Old Dominion gives contract extension to former James Franklin assistant

This former James Franklin assistant was given a contract extension at his new school.

Former Penn State offensive coordinator [autotag]Ricky Rahne[/autotag] is off to a nice start as the head coach of Old Dominion. After taking the Monarchs to a bowl game in the 2021 season, Rahne has been given a contract extension, according to a report from Pete Thamel of ESPN.

Rahne’s new contract will reportedly run through the 2026 season with a one-year extension on his original contract. Rahne is about to enter his third season as the head coach of the Old Dominion program. Rahne’s first season was wiped off the calendar as a result of Old Dominion not playing football in 2020 amid the pandemic.

Despite having a year off from football, Rahne guided Old Dominion to just the second bowl game in program history. Old Dominion may have lost to Tulsa in the Myrtle Beach Bowl, but managing to get the Monarchs to the bowl season at all was an incredible feat. Old Dominion started the 2021 season with a record of 1-6 but the Monarchs won their last five regular-season games to clinch bowl eligibility.

Rahne is guiding Old Dominion into the Sun Belt Conference as the school makes a conference affiliation change during the 2022 season. Old Dominion’s first game of the season will see Rahne go up against Virginia Tech, which is now coached by former Penn State defensive coordinator [autotag]Brent Pry[/autotag]. Pry and Rahne were each members of the Penn State coaching staff under [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag]. Old Dominion faces Virginia Tech on Friday, Sept. 2 in Norfolk.

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Decision date set for Class of 2023 linebacker target, son of former Eagles LB

Son of former Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter to announce his college decision later this month. Penn State, Clemson, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Virginia Tech in the mix.

Penn State is in the thick of a notable recruiting battle for an in-state four-star linebacker, and a decision date has been set on the calendar for a commitment announcement. Four-star linebacker [autotag]Josiah Trotter[/autotag] announced, via Twitter, that he will be committing to his school of choice on Friday, April 15 (his birthday).

Trotter previously updated his recruiting status by revealing his top five schools in late February. Penn State was among the five schools remaining in his recruiting process, along with Clemson, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech, of course, is currently coached by former Penn State defensive coordinator [autotag]Brent Pry[/autotag]. Trotter’s older brother, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., signed with Clemson in 2021.

Trotter is among the top recruits from within Pennsylvania, which naturally makes him a top target for head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff, including new defensive coordinator [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag].

Despite being so close to an announcement, there has yet to be a single crystal ball prediction made on 247Sports, so gauging a favorite to land Trotter appears to be pretty tricky with under two weeks to go until a decision is announced. But the On3Sports prediction machine, however, has West Virginia as an overwhelming favorite with a 90.2% chance of receiving Trotter’s commitment.

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Key longtime James Franklin assistant heading to Virginia Tech

Bruce Feldman reports Penn State director of football operations Michael Hazel will leave the program for another job

The departure of Brent Pry to Virginia Tech figured to lead to a staff member or two leaving Penn State for Blacksburg. And it appears that will be the case for another longtime staff member Penn State head coach James Franklin could rely on.

According to a report from The Athletic college football reporter Bruce Feldman, via Twitter, director of football operations Michael Hazel will be joining Pry at Virginia Tech.

This would be a significant addition for Pry, the former Penn State defensive coordinator who is now the head coach at Virginia Tech. Hazel has been a part of Franklin’s staff since their time at Vanderbilt. Hazel was among the assistants and staff members who followed Franklin to Penn State when he was hired to be the head coach of the Nittany Lions. Like Pry, Franklin could come to rely on what Hazel had to offer his staff in more ways than one.

As noted by Feldman, Hazel has been a key figure in helping Penn State form the quality staff of assistants Penn State has had over the years. Although assistants and coordinators have moved on to advance their careers at times, Hazel and Franklin managed to replace those coaches with quality replacements, including the latest addition of former Miami head coach Manny Diaz as the replacement for Pry at defensive coordinator. Hazel was named Football Scoop’s operations director of the year in 2020 and was a two-time finalist before that in 2015 and 2016.

Clearly, this is a tough loss for Franklin and a big gain for Pry at Virginia Tech.

Franklin did not comment much on the possibility of staff members and assistants leaving Penn State in his postgame remarks after the loss to Arkansas in the Outback Bowl, but it was clearly on his mind.

“I think you guys know I’ve been pretty adamant in the past about the type of moves, lateral moves, but there’s also some factors when it comes to where guys are from,” Franklin said when asked specifically about the possibility of special teams coordinator Joe Lorig being pursued by Oregon.

Hazel is a native of South Carolina and went to Vanderbilt and Elon. Although he has no connections to Virginia Tech, he surely has a relationship with Pry after spending so many years together as part of Franklin’s staff.

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Defensive coordinator search could be over as Anthony Poindexter makes a decision

Penn State’s search for a defensive coordinator could be over with Anthony Poindexter’s latest statement

Just when it looked as though momentum was building for the possibility of Penn State losing another defensive coordinator to a head coaching opportunity, it appears as though that will no longer be the case. Anthony Poindexter will reportedly stay at Penn State on the staff under James Franklin instead of moving to his alma mater to become the next head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers. And that could mean Penn State’s search for a defensive coordinator will officially be over soon.

Poindexter appeared to be a leading candidate for the Virginia head coaching job over the last week, with Franklin appearing to be bracing for the possibility of coaching the Outback Bowl against Arkansas with a reduced staff as a result. Penn State is already without Brent Pry, who has moved on to become the head coach at Virginia Tech. But on Wednesday, multiple reports suggested Poindexter will stay at Penn State. Among those reporting such was Adam Rittenberg of ESPN, via Twitter.

“Timing is everything for both sides,” Poindexter reportedly told Rittenberg. “There will be a day, but I’m going to stay at Penn State.”

What led to this statement from Poindexter confirming his decision to stay at Penn State is up for interpretation, of course. Poindexter had plenty to offer Virginia, but the Cavaliers could also be moving in a different direction for their head coach search. According to Brett McMurphy of The Action Network, Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott is the leading candidate for the job in Charlottesville now.

Did Poindexter turn Virginia down, or did Virginia decide to move in a different direction away from the former Virginia All-American? Again, who knows for sure?

What this means, however, is Penn State may have its defensive coordinator figured out. Poindexter had the title of co-defensive coordinator at Penn State along with Pry, although Pry was largely credited for being the main coordinator. With Pry gone, Franklin could simply put more of the defensive responsibilities on Poindexter as the sole defensive coordinator or move him up in rank while adding another co-defensive coordinator.

There could be options to explore in adding a defensive coordinator. Ohio State will have to adjust its staff to make room for new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles on their staff, leaving some Penn State fans dreaming of a return of Larry Johnson in a more prominent role, but don’t count on that option playing out. The sudden availability of former Miami head coach Manny Diaz, who enjoyed success as a defensive coordinator, is fun to think about as well, but there is no indication Franklin is looking that way at this time.

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Scratch another name off Penn State’s options at defensive coordinator

Penn State continues to search for a new defensive coordinator, and Ohio State just added one of the best on the market.

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With Virginia seemingly likely to be preparing to hire Penn Stae co-defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter to be its next head coach, Penn State continues to be on the prowl for a new defensive coordinator. And one of the names that had been thrown out as a potential target by some is already on the move to his new job. And it’s to Ohio State.

Jim Knowles, who had been the heralded defensive coordinator for Oklahoma State, is heading to Columbus to take on the role of defensive coordinator for Ohio State. From one OSU to another, Knowles will begin in his new role with Ohio State after Ohio State’s bowl game, allowing the current staff to remain in charge of the defense.

Interestingly, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has not made any cuts to his current staff, so it would seem someone is about to move to a new role, or Day foresees one of his assistants leaving for another opportunity and the addition of Knowles now ensures Ohio State’s staff will be relatively stable in any transition.

Larry Johnson to Penn State to be a defensive coordinator? Some will dream of this, for sure.

Knowles, a Pennsylvania native, had been mentioned by some as a potential candidate to take on the role of defensive coordinator at Penn State. Whether he was ever on the radar of Penn State or head coach James Franklin for the position is unknown, but it not at all comforting knowing Penn State’s biggest obstacle just secured one of the top defensive coordinator on the market at a time it has already lost Brent Pry to a head coaching job at Virginia Tech and Poindexter could be on the move to Virginia at any moment.

For now, the search continues for Franklin and Penn State. One name to keep an eye on may be Manny Diaz. Diaz was removed as head coach at Miami this week to allow the Hurricanes to hire Oregon‘s Mario Cristobal as his replacement. Miami bought out Diaz’s contract for $8 million, making Diaz a free agent. How quickly he returns to coaching remains to be seen, especially with an $8 million buyout to fall back on at least for a season.

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5 possible candidates for defensive coordinator at Penn State

5 possible candidates to replace Brent Pry as Penn State’s defensive coordinator

For the first time since becoming a head coach, James Franklin is searching for a new defensive coordinator. Franklin’s long-time defensive coordinator, Brent Pry, accepted an opportunity to become a head coach with Virginia Tech and that leaves a big hole on Franklin’s staff he has never once had to fill during his years as a head coach. Pry was on Franklin’s staff with at least a share of the defensive coordinator responsibilities since Franklin’s first year as a head coach at Vanderbilt, and Pry followed Franklin to Penn State to continue leading the defense.

But with Pry off to Blacksburg, and possibly taking a couple of assistants and staffers with him, Franklin must find a new coach to lead the defense in 2022. And, if history is any indication, Franklin will have some interesting names worth considering for Pry’s successor in Happy Valley. There is even a chance the next defensive coordinator could already be on the staff, but there could be some names worth exploring from outside of the Penn State football family as well.

Here are five names Penn State fans will likely be hearing about to some degree or another as Franklin looks to find his next defensive coordinator.

Virginia Tech hires Brent Pry to be head coach

Virginia Tech hired Penn State DC Brent Pry to be its next head coach.

As the college football head coaching carousel continues to spin at a dizzying pace, Penn State now finds itself in need of a new defensive coordinator. Brent Pry, who had been the defensive coordinator for James Franklin since 2011 between stops at Vanderbilt and Penn State, has officially been named the new head coach of the Virginia Tech Hokies. Virginia Tech announced the hiring of Pry as head coach on Tuesday, welcoming back the former Hokies assistant coach for the first time since 1997.

Pry was a graduate assistant coach for the Hokies from 1995 through 1997, where he worked under legendary Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster for three seasons. Pry went on to develop more defensive coaching skills with stops in various roles with Western Carolina, Louisiana-Lafayette, Memphis, and Georgia Southern from 1998 through 2010.

Pry then joined Franklin at Vanderbilt in 2011, reuniting with Franklin for the first time since crossing paths at East Stroudsburg during Franklin’s playing days. Franklin quickly made Pry an assistant head coach with the Commodores with a co-defensive coordinator job title. When Franklin was hired by Penn State in 2014, Pry was among the many assistants that made the trip to Happy Valley with him. Pry continued to split the role of defensive coordinator for two seasons before taking on the sole responsibility for the defense beginning in 2016.

“Even after I departed Blacksburg, I always continued to appreciate Virginia Tech, its great players, its championship teams, and its wonderful traditions from afar,” Pry said in a released statement on Tuesday. “The resources, facilities, university backing of Athletics, and phenomenal fan support that Virginia Tech enjoys made this a very desirable situation. But just as importantly, the opportunity to raise our children in a community like Blacksburg also has great appeal. We can’t wait to meet the team, the support staff, and Hokie Nation. We will be prepared to hit the ground running in order to attract the type of student-athletes to Virginia Tech who can help us achieve sustained success.”

Penn State head coach James Franklin offered a statement as well, congratulating his longtime friend on finally getting the opportunity to take the next step in his career.

“I’m truly excited for Brent and his family,” Franklin said in his statement. “He’s a passionate leader who’ll inspire his team to play their best football; but his greatest strengths are his dedication, relatability and humility. It’s those characteristics combined with his deep understanding of X&Os that will serve Virginia Tech and the entire Blacksburg community best.”

So what does this all mean for Penn State? For starters, Franklin now needs to find a new defensive coordinator. But before he does that, he may need to know what assistant coaches may follow Pry to Virginia Tech as well. It is a pretty common occurrence that a coordinator may take a few assistants with him to his new job, so there is a chance there could be a little more turnover on Franklin’s staff this offseason.

Regardless of who else potentially leaves, Franklin knows finding a defensive coordinator is among the top items on the to-do list right now.

On a related note, I suppose this means Bill O’Brien is out in Blacksburg.

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