Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry is expected to be announced as the next head coach at Virginia Tech, sources told Yahoo Sports.

Pry is one of country’s top defensive coordinators, as Penn State finished No. 7 this year in total defense. Pry has been at Penn State since 2014 and served as the main defensive coordinator since 2016. He’s respected as one of the country’s top defensive play-callers.

Pry’s hire represents Virginia Tech throwing back to the school’s defensive roots, as a lunch pail has long served as an emblem for the program. Pry also brings a strong link to the Frank Beamer era, as he served three years as a graduate assistant at the school in the mid-1990s as Beamer was building Virginia Tech into a national power.

Pry worked under current Virginia Tech interim coach J.C Price while a graduate assistant at the school.

Pry’s defenses are known for disruption, aggression and developing top players. Micah Parsons, Jayson Oweh and Yetur Gross-Matos are a few of the high-end defenders he has coached at Penn State.

Pry replaces Justin Fuente, who went 43-31 in six seasons there. Fuente never fully figured out how to unlock the local recruiting bases needed, nor did his tenure develop a distinct identity.

Pry brings experience at the school, elite defensive pedigree and first-hand knowledge of how the program grew under Beamer.