Brent Pry, Virginia Tech officially announce hiring of new OL coach

Brent Pry has a new offensive line coach following Joe Rudolph’s departure to serve on Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame staff.

On Monday, Virginia Tech officially introduced Ron Crook as the new offensive line coach. Crook’s longtime coaching career dates back to the early 1990s while he most recently spent 2022 at South Dakota.

“I am thrilled to add a coach of Ron Crook’s caliber to our staff,” said Pry via press release. “He brings a wealth of experience coaching offensive line across the Power Five level and in major bowl games. Coach Crook is a great teacher and has a reputation for building tough, physical offensive lines. Ron’s time and ties to small college football in West Virginia and Pennsylvania means a lot to me. I know what he is about and what he will bring to our program.”

Prior to South Dakota, Crook spent 5 years at Cincinnati from 2017-21 on Luke Fickell’s staff. Crook helped guide the Bearcats to the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff.

Outlook for the Hokies

Brent Pry is trying t

o rebuild the Virginia Tech program after a 3-8 mark during Year 1 in 2022. That was the worst season for the program since 1992 and a 2-8-1 record under Frank Beamer.

Joe Rudolph was an integral piece for Pry’s first staff with the Hokies and his departure certainly stings. Landing a piece like Crook is a nice addition to fill the void, but determining that impact will not be realized until the fall.

With a nonconference schedule that includes games against Old Dominion, Rutgers, Marshall and Purdue with first-year head coach Ryan Walters, the Hokies have a shot to gain some momentum before hitting the ACC schedule. We’ll see if that’s enough to get the program rolling under Pry.