Ahead of Friday’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, N.C., Virginia Tech football head coach Brent Pry joined Zach Mackey and Mike Burnop on Tech Talk Live from the Queen City on Thursday night to preview the matchup with Minnesota (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
James Johnson, Tech’s director of high school relations, and Bill Roth, the voice of the Hokies, were also guests.
Brent Pry
How have the last couple of days and weeks been preparing for this?
It’s been great. First of all, Charlotte has been a great host city, the Duke’s Mayo folks have been outstanding to our team and our coaches, the hospitality at the hotel, the NASCAR experience, the bowl events, all first class. And we’ve had some really good practices. The folks over at Providence Day, we’ve worked out over there every day, had a full game week. The guys really put in the work.
Tell us about the NASCAR experience.
Went 175 miles per hour, trusting my life with some guy I met two minutes ago. It was pretty cool. The fact that everybody on our team and the coaching staff got to jump in a NASCAR and do two laps at 175, I don’t know what other bowl will have you doing something like that. It was awesome.
Maybe a little different than driving on those country roads at home?
I had my eyes closed for a part of it.
How are things coming together? You’re preparing for the game while recruiting and filling some staff roles.
It’s encouraging when so many people want to be at Virginia Tech, whether it’s recruits or coaches. We’ve done very well with our high school class, we’re doing very well in the transfer portal, we got to finish that out this week. And the candidates that are applying for these positions as well. We’re very fortunate to get Matt Moore in the boat. Good O-line hire, super excited about what he brings to the table, particularly a couple of those big O-linemen that are coming with him.
You lost some guys to the portal. I’m sure it’ll be good to get some experience back.
For sure, there’s some opportunity. Two young guys, two old guys to match and upgrade in some places from what we lost in that room.
You mentioned today in your press conference that Bud Foster would be helping in this bowl game, but will also continue to help with this defense going forward. Hokie fans love that. How will he be involved?
We are all very fortunate that Bud loves this place. He wants to be involved, he wants to jump in, he wants to help. We’ve got a great relationship, there’s a lot of trust there and he’s been very impactful in my coaching career. It’s great to have him on hand, he’s been in all of our meetings and been at every practice. Myself, Coach [Shawn] Quinn and Bud have been scouring the game plan and tweaking it each day. He’ll be in the press box with a headset on. Coach Quinn will come down on the sideline, he and I will work on calling the thing. It’s great to have Bud out there. It’s encouraging, it’s exciting, it makes me feel very good that he wants to be a part of it.
Is there a big difference in the terminology that you guys use?
There’s some of that. But even over the years when I first left Virginia Tech, there were plenty of opportunities to get together with Bud and his staff or they’d come see us at Vanderbilt or Penn State. We’ve always been trading ideas and keeping up. The core of good defense, what he believes to be true is what I believe to be true.
How’s the preparation of Pop Watson been over these last couple of weeks?
When he went into that Duke game, he hadn’t worked with the ones in practice. The UVa week, he got every snap with the first group, and it showed. He’s gotten every snap with the ones here in bowl prep. I think the chemistry and the group working together under his guidance has notched up some.
Have his confidence and demeanor changed since becoming the starter?
These guys respect Pop. They want to play for him and they want to play with him. He’s gone out there and made plays against UVa in big moments. He’s always been a confident guy with a lot of poise. I’m excited for the opportunity for him. We thought Kyron [Drones] would have a shot to play, but he’s just really beat up. Coming out of this thing is tougher than I thought it would be for him. He’s about halfway practicing and halfway rehabbing. Pop has been awesome and Collin [Schlee] is back healthy, you’ll see some of him.
A few weeks ago, you announced that both Kyron Drones and Pop Watson will be coming back. How critical is that for Virginia Tech next year?
That doesn’t happen a lot. You look around the country, you don’t usually keep No. 1 and No. 2. We were able to do that. A lot of effort went into it, a lot of trust in those guys.
Talk about how much it helps to get those early enrollees some practice experience.
This is new. Your early graduates and early enrollees can practice in the bowl. All they need is a letter from their high school administration that all of their work is completed. We get them a physical, a couple other things and we’re rocking and rolling. We had nine guys go through the bowl practice with us that were in high school three weeks ago. Love having them out there.
Are they going through everything or are you holding them back from that?
There’s an acclimation period where we don’t have them in full pads like everybody else. A few of them got to that point. Mostly it’s drills and techniques and learning how we practice, and then it’s just getting to meet the guys, being in the locker room and the hotel, getting to hangout, make friends, get adjusted and learn our culture. It’s a comfort level for them and some of the kids on our team as well.
You’ve held open practices so some of the high school coaches from around here can come in, that’s probably invaluable. Dax Hollifield and Yosh Nijman both came back, too.
We had some lettermen come visit the team and come to practice. We probably had 30 high school coaches one day, 40 the next when we opened it up. This is a good area for us to come recruit, it’s so close and there’s good high school football around here.
What stands out to you about Minnesota?
It’s a big group. Big offensive line, big and long on defense, physical, very sound, not real fancy, but good at what they do. I’ve squared off against this group a couple times, they’re well-coached. They’re going to play tough and hard and they’ll play all four quarters. We can’t get in a wrestling match with these guys. They’re too big and strong. We’ve got to use speed and athleticism to get on the edges and get on their side. We’ve got to play in the perimeter, get the ball to the right guys and break some tackles.
Tell us about Max Brosmer, their quarterback.
He keeps them on schedule. If you look at these guys statistically, it’s underwhelming. When you put the film on, they’re quietly a very good offense. They do that they need to do to complement the defense and win football games.They’ve had a very good defensive unit. They have a couple of guys opting out but a lot of guys are still playing. What about their defense has been so good?
They’re physical. They get downhill, good size, they have length, quality play-caller. This group is a bunch of veterans and they’ve been in some big battles. They took Penn State to the wire and some other folks in that league. This is an experienced group.You’re going to have a lot of new faces on your offensive line tomorrow.
At tackle, Parker Clements has played a ton of snaps here, and I’m so thankful he wanted to finish this out. Johnny Garrett will play left tackle, he worked at both tackle spots in the back half of the season and is doing a nice job. Bob Schick and Brody Meadows have played a ton of football these last two years at guard, those guys are experienced players in there. It’s at the center position we’ve got two young guys [in Tommy Ricard and Caleb Nitta]. They’re tough and smart, super coachable, if you’re going into a fox hole, you want those two with you.What will it take defensively to slow down Minnesota running back Darius Taylor?
We have to be physical and get downhill on this back. Last year, he got it 30 times and rushed for 200 yards in their bowl game. It’s not hard to figure out how they want to win the football game. He’s a good back who’s had a quality season, he’ll be a big part of it for them.Wilfried Pene went home to France and took the Lunch Pail with him.
All I know is that he didn’t speak to me or Coach Foster about taking that thing overseas.Would you have let him?
I don’t know about that. We would’ve given him a duplicate. He loves that pail.Are you ready for a potential mayo bath?
I don’t know if you’re ever ready for that. Even if you like mayonaise, do you want it all over you? Do I ever want it? Yes! I don’t like mayonnaise, but I like Duke’s Mayonnaise for one night. My daughters wanted to practice, I told them no.Who gets the honor of wearing No. 25?
Will Johnson. Been a core guy on teams, hasn’t played much on defense, but he gives it up each and every week on special teams. He was banged up early, got back healthy. He could’ve rode off into the sunset, but he wanted to play and help us, so he gets the honor.What’s it like having so many Hokie fans in this city?
I expect them to bring it strong. We took the team in tonight for a walk around. It’s a great venue, we’re so excited for our kids and coaches to be in there tomorrow night playing on national TV in prime time, it doesn’t get any better.Those heated seats are pretty nice out there.
I don’t know, I don’t get to sit down during the game, Mike.What do the next 24 hours look like for the team?
We’re going to head out for our team meal tonight, we’ll do some personal shares. A couple of meetings, they’re right now in offense and defense. We’ll get back and break bread together, have a team chapel, let them visit with their families. Have them back by curfew and wake up for the late kick, which we had against Duke and UVa. We’ll do our walk-throughs, we’ll stretch the guys and roll them out, do a team walk to get them outside in the middle of the day, then load up and head to the stadium.Seven new starters on offense, seven on defense. Little bit different, huh?
I’m excited about some of these guys getting that opportunity. If they go out there and they work and they’re coachable, they’ll get better each and every practice. They haven’t gotten these kind of valuable reps. We’ve gotten better from practice No. 1 to practice No. 14, each and every clip. I’m excited to see these guys play. We recruited them. We were excited about it when we signed them. Some of them have been in the program a year, some two years, some three. It’s time for them to step up.
James Johnson
Just finished high school recruiting for this class, now you’re moving over to the transfer portal. You’re a busy guy, JJ.
It’s a busy time of the year for us, but it’s a good thing.What’s been happening since the UVa game?
Recruiting is 365 — all year, every day. Our staff understands that. Coach Pry preaches that every day. We’ve been at it with high school kids and now with the portal. We’ve been at it 24 hours a day as soon as the portal opened.What’s the process of recruiting somebody in the portal?
For some kids, it starts before they enter. There are some guys that we recruited and targeted in the past. Maybe we didn’t get them the first time around, we kind of keep our eye on them to see what they’re doing with the team that they chose. We talk to coaches and trainers, do everything we can to keep our relationship with guys. When they do go in the portal, it’s all out. We contact the position coach, the recruiting staff, the coordinators, we dive right into the kid. Try to find out about the character and find out about the things that happened with injuries, find out why he’s leaving, where he wants to go and what he’s looking for in his next school. It’s a deep dive, we dive into a lot of people.Looks like you guys are off to a good start in the portal, with hopefully more to come.
Pry wants to build this team and culture with high school recruiting. He wants to start with that, and then go to the portal for needs. Not building the team out of the portal.You guys did the big event for signing day. There’s a lot that goes into that, isn’t there?
Yeah, it’s something that we call the national signing day draft. We’re setting up the kids on Zoom, then get the coaching staff and guys from the athletic department who announce the recruit’s name like it’s the NFL Draft, then put that name up on the board. The entire coaching staff talks to the family. We had one kid who had 40 people, family members and friends on the Zoom. It’s a big day, a lot of time goes into that. We’re recruiting these kids two and three years out. To get them finally signing with the school, it’s a big deal for them.Pry mentioned that you guys are headed home after the game, but it’ll be about three or four in the morning before they get back. There are a couple of visitors coming in on Saturday and Sunday. It’s back to square one and go, go, go.
We’ve been talking throughout our staff meetings to set up those visits. Some kids are coming in Saturday night and will start their visit Sunday. Got some more coming in Sunday night and going into Monday. Coaches are going on the road, the live period starts on Jan. 6. We’ve got a lot going on.What do you show them for an unofficial visit?
The big difference between official and unofficial is that we can’t pay for anything. They come to visit us on their own. Now, with the way recruiting has gone and the kids are committing early and we’re recruiting younger kids, we’re treating the unofficial visits like official visits because we don’t know if we’ll be able to get them back on campus for an official visit. Kids usually go on unofficial visits, and by the time they come in for their official visit, they’re committed to the school and get to be with the players and staff. We do a little bit of everything. We get guys to meet with their position coach, watching film, meeting with the coordinator, watching film, talking football, talking about if they’ll fit into the program, showing them around the campus and all the facilities they have, meeting with Coach Pry. It’s an extensive visit, even the unofficial part of it. We want to make sure that we do enough to get them back for an official visit.Is it easier without having to worry about a football game?
The football game for us is a big deal. We know our Hokie fans are going to pack the stadium for Enter Sandman. The experience of being at Lane Stadium for Enter Sandman is a big deal and a big plus for our recruits. We use that, but when there aren’t football games, we do a lot to keep them accommodated.I’ve heard around that you still have some of the kids walk through the tunnel to Enter Sandman.
Absolutely. Even on official visits, a lot of them come to games for a game day visit and all. We also take them out of the field on the 50-yard line and replay the whole deal. It’s a great experience for the kids and family members.What’s the biggest thing you hear about Virginia Tech from the recruits and parents?
The gameday experience. The stadium is packed and loud. They can’t stop talking about Enter Sandman. They see it on TV, but to be there and see it live from the field is totally different. They can look up in the stands to see everybody jumping at the same time, that’s a huge deal.How many people are you guys going to take out of the portal? Is there a number?
Not a number, but there are still certain needs that we want to attack that we haven’t gotten to with the high school kids. That’s the way we’re attacking the portal.How are you guys managing the roster cutdown?
It’s going to be 105. That can be scholarships or walk-ons. Each school will be different there. The old way was 85 scholarships and 120 total, where there were a bunch of walk ons. Those guys are valuable to the programs on the scout teams. Now with the 105, it’s not a big difference in what changes our recruiting. It changes the numbers with each room. One room might have one or two more guys than usual, depending on the year.Tell us about the relationship you have with the Triumph NIL guys and the money behind the scenes.
The landscape with the NIL and the transfer portal, that’s a big part of the transfer portal. A lot of kids are going in for different reasons, but one of the bigger reasons is money. With the recruiting department, in my role, that’s a position where I’d pass it on to Kelly Woolwine and those guys. They are an integral part to our recruiting. A lot of kids are asking for that kind of thing out of the portal and want to talk to Kelly and our Triumph group about the NIL.How early in a conversation does that come up?
Very early. I think with playing time, going to a winning program, the NIL is right up there with those. These kids want to know how much money they’re going to be able to make.How important was it to bring those high school coaches to the open practice with how fertile this area is in terms of talent?
You’re two-and-a-half hours from campus, closer than some parts of Virginia. You talk about Richmond and the 757, you can get to Charlotte quicker than those places. There’s a lot of talent down here. It was very important to get those coaches there. Even with the portal and NIL, relationships are still more important. Coach Pry and this staff want to maintain their relationships with these high school coaches around here, that’s how we want to build our team. Another reason is that some of these coaches have kids going elsewhere, and when they enter the portal, they talk to their high school coach and see that we’ve maintained our relationship there. We’ve got some guys on the team whose high school coach was there. Parker Clements and Quentin Reddish’s coaches were both there.Are you a fan of mayo?
I’m a fan of mayo tomorrow, and I like Duke’s Mayo.What were your thoughts on hearing about Miami coach Jim Larranaga retiring?
We’ve been talking throughout the season and even into last season. The NIL is something different for him. What really hit home with him is that they went to the Final Four and he’s talking to his guys on how they can improve on that and win a national championship, and the guys tell him they’re going into the portal. Out of a 13-man roster, about eight guys that he thought were coming back ended up leaving. That didn’t sit well with him. It came to a halt this year. He likes to build those high school kids up. The freshmen become sophomores and then juniors and then turn into seniors to lead the younger guys.