Virginia Tech’s long defensive coordinator search came to an end on Monday, with the Hokies hiring Arizona Cardinals LBs coach Sam Siefkes as their next defensive coordinator.
It was obviously an out of left field hire given the fact that most people had never heard of Siefkes prior, yet has received more intrigue and excitement as more is revealed about him. So with all that mind, here's my breakdown of the Siefkes' hire including the positives he brings to the table plus some of the risks.
Positives
Successful DC Experience
When Brent Pry was asked in Charlotte about if he had any must haves, he said he was looking for defensive coordinator experience, but that it didn’t have to be at the Power 4 level.
“I really want some experience calling (the defense). I just know how valuable that is, somebody that’s done it. And to be honest with me being a guy that’s come up through the ranks, you’d love it to be at the Power 4 level but it doesn’t have to be. You’ve just had to have been through the ups and downs, the learning curve that takes place, managing a defensive room of coaches, a defensive unit meeting, 50 players. And being able to have a game plan that makes sense, being able to make adjustments, being able to build a championship-caliber group. Somebody that’s very confident in what they want to do and how they want it to look,” Pry said.
Well Sam Siefkes may not have Power 4 experience, but he does check the box with successful DC experience at the lower levels with UW-Platteville and Wofford, and hasn’t had a coaching stop where he hasn’t been successful so far.
