3 Potential candidates to take over as defensive coordinator for Penn State Football

Penn State Football defensive coordinator Brent Pry has accepted the head coaching job at Virginia Tech University leaving Penn State Football in search of his replacement 

A chaotic few weeks around Penn State Football continued today as we learned that defensive coordinator Brent Pry has been inked to be the next head coach at Virginia Tech.

Pry came with Franklin to State College after serving as the co-defensive coordinator for him at Vanderbilt from 2011-2013.

It seems that Pry was more than just a coach on Franklin’s staff, he was a friend to Franklin off the field as well, and he will not be tasked with the job of finding his replacement.

These will be some pretty large shoes to fill at that, as Pry has consistently had top 10-20 defenses in the country and has done a great job of recruiting defensive talent to Happy Valley.

No better evidence of that is what Micah Parsons and Odafe Oweh are currently doing in the NFL right now. Those two will also be joined by a few former teammates come this April, as Penn State Football has four defensive players going to the Reese’s Senior Bowl this.

Franklin fought for more money to spend on assistant coaches when he negotiated his new contract so we will quickly see how deep that pool just is, and it will be interesting to see if he chooses to go with a big name from the outside, promote from within, or potentially even bring back a familiar face from the past.

It is very early on in the process as Pry has only been gone for less than a day, however it is never to early to take a look at potential candidates.

Here are three likely candidates to replace Brent Pry as Penn State Football defensive coordinator

Elijah Robinson

Elijah Robinson Is probably the frontrunner to watch here, as Robinson is a ’08 Penn State Football alum who currently serves as the defensive line coach at Texas A&M.

He is currently in his fourth season in that position and under defensive coordinator Mike Elko who is one of the best in the business. The Aggies have had one of the best defenses in the country over the last few seasons, particularly strong at the defensive line position due in large part to the job Robinson has done on the recruiting trail.

In 2020, Robison helped guide a veteran defensive line that led the SEC and was top-10 in the nation in total defense, also boasting a top-three ranking in the country in rushing defense.

As a recruiter, the Penn State Football alum ranks 21st in the country among all coaches according to 247 sports. Robinson’s 2021 recruiting class boasted a five-star, and four four-star players, all of which were top 100 prospects.

A former Nittany Lion who is killing it on the recruiting trail, coaching a unit that is one of the best in the country and is currently learning from one of the best coordinators in the country is almost a no-brainer for Franklin and Penn State Football.