BLACKSBURG, Va — Virginia Tech head football coach Brent Pry knew he had a tough job on his hands when he took over the Hokie football program.
He may not have been sure how tough.
Pry told the assembled media in Blacksburg on Tuesday that he found a culture that believed it was OK to lose and lose they did.
Under Justin Fuente, Tech had back-to-back losing seasons for the first time in 30 years.
Pry cautioned that changing that will not happen overnight.
"We're building a program here from the ground up" Pry explained. "It's something our players hear me say a lot. We're 100 level and working our way up."
Last year in the ACC, the Hokies were 11th in scoring, and next to last in both rushing and passing yards.
Defensively was no better as they finished last in interceptions and next to last in sacks.
Both their red zone offense and defenses finished at the bottom of the league as well.
Pry starts his rebuild by changing the mentality throughout the program.
"We will play hard, and play fast, and play tough" Pry said. "We will sacrifice and invest and be determined. That's who we're going to be."
Saying it is one thing.
Proving it on the field is a different matter, and one Pry and the Hokies won't get to show until the season actually begins.
Before that, Pry and his staff made it a point to get out into the community and go across the Commonwealth to rebuild some of the relationships that had been lost, especially with Virginia high school programs, the lifeblood of the future of any program.
"They (high school coaches) were thankful," Fontell Mines, a VT assistant coach and one of their top recruiters, said. "Thankful for the relationships. Thankful for the consistency. It's about us saying something and then us following through."
In addition to one of the strongest freshmen classes from Virginia that the Hokies have ever had, they welcome in a number of players through the NCAA transfer portal, including Ali Jennings, a former standout receiver at Hermitage and Highland Springs who will be playing for his third different collegiate program. But in Virginia Tech and Pry, he feels he has found where he's supposed to be.
"If you're around him (Pry) long enough, he's going to try to make you laugh, love on you and coach you hard" Jennings explained. "He's a high energy guy that people love being around. I love everything that he's about."
"We're in a much better place currently" Pry admitted about his roster. "There's more guys that can make more plays at more positions. We're not where we need to be, and we're still young, but I feel better about the opportunity."
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