Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry recently spoke with college football analyst Josh Pate and had some interesting things to say about Clemson.
During the Late Kick with Josh Pate interview, Pry uses Clemson as a comparative piece when discussing the Hokies program and their history in college football. It’s an interesting recruiting pitch and one that Pry delved deeper into during the interview.
“I tell recruits and families all the time that this place was Clemson before Clemson was Clemson. Truly,” said Pry. “And in the same breath, seven conference championships in about 15 years. Seven conference championships in 15 years. Who does that sound like? Ohio State, Alabama – like, who’s winning those kind of league championships that frequently, and that was Virginia Tech.
“And then the second piece of it is, I was here for a Sugar Bowl championship, I was here for an Orange Bowl, I was here for two conference championships. So were several members of my staff. We know what it looks like to win championships here. I would never have left Penn State and James Franklin if I didn’t believe we could do it here, if alignment wasn’t here, if administration and the powers to be didn’t recognize what I recognized about things we needed to do to get this program headed back in the right direction.”
I get the sentiment here and what Pry is trying to deliver… it’s just a weird recruiting pitch in my eyes. It’s basically like saying, “We were Clemson, but now we aren’t.” Again, I understand the point; it’s just not the message I personally would send as a recruiter.
Pry, now in his third season as head coach of Virginia Tech, brings a 10-14 overall record into the 2024 season. Prior to leading the Hokies, he spent eight seasons as defensive coordinator/linebackers coach at Penn State. Pry’s connection with Virginia Tech runs deep, having served as a defensive graduate assistant for the Hokies from 1995-97 under head coach Frank Beamer and defensive coordinator Bud Foster.
Virginia Tech, since joining the ACC in 2004, boasts four conference football titles, the most recent being in 2010. On the other hand, Clemson, led by Dabo Swinney, has dominated the ACC with eight championships since 2011. Swinney, with an impressive 6-0 record against Virginia Tech, will lead the Tigers against Pry’s Hokies on Saturday, Nov. 9, marking their first meeting.