Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry announced today that former star WR Cam Phillips, the Hokies' all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards, is in the process of joining the staff.
After Phillips was spotted by other outlets who were on site for today's practice, Brent Pry was asked about whether Phillips may be joining the staff by Tech Sideline's Andy Bitter and had this to say about that.
"We're in the process of onboarding Cam, still got a couple of hurdles to clear. He wants to be part of the program, more than just a former player. We've got some opportunities that we're looking at. He's kind of being a fly on the wall right now and if we can get this transition finished, then he'll be part of the staff in some way," Pry said.
During his tenure at Virginia Tech, Brent Pry has given various former players opportunities to join the staff with a pair of former Hokies as position coaches in J.C. Price and Pierson Prioleau being the most notable.
Pry had this to say about the value of Phillips being a former Hokie, building relationships with former players who could end up wanting to be coaches, and the process of how this all came together with Phillips specifically.
"We love the lettermen to come back, whether they're playing in the NFL or not. You want to get to know these guys. And obviously, former players, handful of them are gonna want to coach when they're done playing. He's got a desire to do that. He came up before and we really enjoyed him and invited him to stick around and spent some time with us and started talking about opportunities. So that's kind of how it happens," Pry said.
Phillips has spent a decent amount of time around the program since Pry's arrival for someone who wasn't already on staff. Clearly, Phillips has impressed Pry when he's been around the program to the point where he's more than happy to find a role for Virginia Tech's all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards on this staff, with that exact role obviously not being clear yet.
We'll see what Phillips' exact role will be soon, but a Hokie great is back in Blacksburg this time looking to build a new legacy as a coach after starring as a player.
