Following the ACC's announcement of the 2023 schedule earlier this week, ACC Network had Virginia Tech football head coach Brent Pry on its ACC PM show to discuss the schedule from his perspective, how the team is looking so far in offseason workouts and more.
Read below for some highlights of what he said on the show Tuesday.
Head coach Brent Pry
On his initial reaction to the 2023 schedule:
"We definitely need to be better (laughing). But, I think overall, it is a very competitive schedule. We got two Big Ten teams on there and they both are improving. I'm anxious to see where Purdue is [with a new head coach] and how they start the year. I got a lot of respect for both of those programs playing in a league I coached in for years. Then picking up Florida State, Louisville and Wake Forest, those are some of the more competitive programs in our league. We need to be better in all areas, and that's just in general. It's a competitive schedule. We picked up some good folks."
On how much he is stressing winning at home:
"Oh, absolutely. We got to protect Lane Stadium. Our fans deserve that. It's the best environment in our league. They came out in full force. We had a few sellouts. We had an 11 o'clock kick that our students filled the stands at 10 a.m. These fans were really supportive through a 3-8 season. We certainly want to give them a ton to cheer about on our home turf."
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On if there is a theme that the team will rally around:
"We still are about 'ground up.' We have got to be a better team fundamentally. I just talked about that to the coaches this morning, as we just started our winter program. We just have to make sure that we're coaching quality. We're coaching knee bend. We're coaching body position. We're coaching aiming points. All the things that I believe in and know that can lead to success for these guys. We're still at the 100 level and getting the foundation right. We learned a lot [in the fall]. I'm very encouraged by the things that we did experience – the growth, the development – and that was really in a lot of areas, particularly in our culture, with the maturity of our team. But at the same time, fundamentally, with our skill set, we have to improve there first."
On if he demonstrates certain things hands-on by acting out the move:
"Oh, I love to demonstrate for them, but the problem is half the time I don't look very good doing it (laughing). So, I'm not sure it's a great example, especially when I got guys like Chris Marve, Pierson Prioleau and Xavier Adibi, who are some guys that have done it at a really high level. I think they're a better example, but I still try. Sometimes I get laughed at more than they're listening, but that's the fun of it. We are player-coaches, so we love diving in with these guys and sweating it out there with them. I do think showing a good example is always important in what you want, whether that's on film or on the practice field. They got to see what you're talking about."
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