Hokies add two members to football strength and conditioning staff

New assistants bring an abundance of experience to the performance team

Soccer 02/02/2023 10:17:00

BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech head football coach Brent Pry announced two new recruits to the football strength and conditioning team on Thursday, Brandon Dillard and Ryan Hardie joining the program as assistant strength coaches and conditioning under the direction of Senior Director of Strength and Conditioning Dwight Galt.

Dillard (Martinsville, Va. & Bassett HS) is no stranger to Blacksburg. A former student-athlete, he was a member of the Hokies football team (2005-10), earning his bachelor’s degree in residential property management in 2009. He played in 13 games in 2007 as a wide receiver and kick returner. foot. Dillard was a member of two ACC Championship teams (2007, 2008) and two Orange Bowl teams (2007, 2008) under head coach Frank Beamer.

Dillard began his career as a graduate strength and conditioning assistant at Tech in 2011 before being named associate director of strength and conditioning for men’s and women’s basketball in 2012, a role he held until 2012. in 2016. For the past seven years, the Martinsville, Virginia native served as Associate Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports at Tech, designing strength and conditioning programs for athletics, men’s and women’s soccer , men’s tennis and women’s golf.

During those years, the Hokies were a playoff staple. The teams have won a total of 17 NCAA Tournament berths and nine ACC championships.

Dillard is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Hardie (Canton, Ohio and GlenOak HS) comes to Blacksburg after four years as assistant director of sports performance at Old Dominion. In this role, Hardie designed and executed strength and conditioning programs for the soccer, women’s basketball and women’s rowing teams.

Hardie’s resume includes stops at his alma mater Walsh University (2013-15) and Malone University (2016-19), where he is the head strength and conditioning coach at both schools. The Canton, Ohio native also completed separate strength and conditioning clinics at Ohio State (2015-16) and Georgia (2019).

He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and holds an RSCC rating through the NSCA. Hardie is also a certified USA-Weightlifting (USAW) Sports Performance Coach.


Hardie received his bachelor’s degree in multi-age physical education, as well as a master’s degree in business administration from Walsh University, where he played college football.


Dillard and Hardie join technical football winners Jarrett Ferguson and Greg Allen as football strength and conditioning assistants.