The dismissal of defensive coordinator Chris Marve headlined the staff changes that head coach Brent Pry made as announced by Virginia Tech on Thursday evening. Now, Pry has one of the biggest hires of his tenure as he looks for a replacement for Marve.
It's important to note that Pry said on Friday that he does not plan on taking defensive playcalling responsibilities back on as he did in 2022, so having defensive playcalling experience feels like a must for any candidate.
Additionally, there's no reason to believe that Pry and the Hokies are open to a dramatic defensive schematic shift away from a 4-3 base that has lots of 4-2-5 flexibility. That seems like common sense as well given how much this roster is built to be a 4-3 and doesn't have the front 7 makeup to effectively shift away from that.
What that means is that some prominent available coaches who could be top candidates in some situations likely don't make sense here including former Purdue HC Ryan Walters, former Miss State HC Zac Arnett (Ole Miss analyst currently), and former Wisconsin DC Jim Leonhard (current Denver Broncos DBs coach).
So with all that said, here's my list of potential candidates to watch.
Note that just because a name is on this list doesn't mean he is involved, but this is a list of coaches who would make sense for Tech to consider for various reasons. You can read my look at potential OL coach candidates here.
VT Nickels/Star LBs Coach Shawn Quinn
If the Hokies are going to look internally, then it seems like that choice would be nickels/star LBs coach Shawn Quinn, the interim defensive coordinator for the Duke's Mayo Bowl. While that game could serve as an audition of sorts for him, it seems more likely that this spot will be filled prior to that game and that Quinn's audition of sorts will be limited to prep and practice over the next week or so during the duration of the search.
In speaking with some of my sourcing since the dismissal of Marve, there are some who do believe Quinn deserves a shot and a belief that at least some players would be very happy if Quinn got the job. This isn't to say that those players wouldn't be happy with an outside hire but there is definitely some internal hope for Quinn to get consideration.
He also does have experience as a defensive coordinator at the lower levels having been a co-DC at Northwestern State in 2009, DC at Charleston Southern in 2012, DC at Western Carolina in 2013-15, DC at Tennessee Tech in 2016, and DC at Savannah State in 2018 prior to getting the head coaching gig there. Western Carolina also went from winning two games in his first year on staff as the DC to seven games each of the next two seasons if you're looking for an encouraging sign given some of the limitations on easily accessible stats outside the FBS ranks.
Having that volume of DC experience plus time as a head coach is definitely a positive that shows Quinn can be the leader of the defensive side of the ball under Pry's ultimate leadership of the program without Pry wondering if he's capable of taking the mantle. The question becomes whether Quinn can do more than just run the ship, but run it at the level necessary to get the Hokies where Pry wants them to go.
Now it is fair to bring up the fact that Quinn has never been a DC or co-DC at the FBS level and there would be some risk in having a first time FBS DC. Tech also probably could use some fresh ideas in the building and bringing in an outside voice in this role would make more sense to achieve that rather than promoting Quinn and then backfilling from there. Quinn could offer some stability along with a change in lead voice though that is worth considering in addition to his lower-level experience.
He's had success in his role with his position group and on the recruiting trail, so promoting him to a co-DC could make some sense if he isn't the choice for defensive coordinator.
While I would be surprised if the Hokies promote from within here, Shawn Quinn appears to be the top internal option for that job and giving him an interview for that role seems like a reasonable move.
Penn State Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties Coach Anthony Poindexter
Someone in the Pry realm who could make sense is Penn State co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Anthony Poindexter, who joined the Nittany Lions in 2021 alongside Pry. While they only had a year of overlap, Poindexter and Pry seem to hold similar defensive philosophies that would make him a smooth fit within what Pry wants to see with his defense big picture wise.
Poindexter has done well during his tenure at Penn State developing guys like NFL standouts Jaquan Brisker and Ji'Ayir Brown along with future NFL safety Kevin Winston Jr. He's also proven himself to be a very good recruiter
His Power 4 experience is extensive having been on UVA's staff from 2003-13, Purdue from 2017-20, and Penn State since 2021 with the one gap being his time at UCONN from 2014-16 as the defensive coordinator. He's had at least a co-DC title since he got his first DC job at UCONN and is used to being part of the leadership of the defense as a whole rather than just his position group.
He's also a proven recruiter who played an instrumental role in landing guys like Quin Blanding at UVA and has done a lot of damage for Penn State in the talent rich areas around Washington D.C. and Baltimore. He would absolutely be able to come in and elevate the Hokies' recruiting even further both in that region and throughout VA given that he is a native of Lynchburg who didn't move outside the DMV till becoming the UCONN defense outside of a brief stint in 2001 as part of the Cleveland Browns' training camp roster and practice squad.
Now the question some may have is whether Poindexter can be a lead defensive coordinator given that he's been passed over multiple times for the primary DC job at Penn State for Manny Diaz and Tom Allen. However, James Franklin, being an offensive guy, seems to value finding DCs who have head coaching experience since Pry's departure so that they can be the head coach of the defense.
Poindexter also was the DC under Bob Diaco at UCONN from 2014-16. While Connecticut's offense was horrid during those three seasons, ranking in the bottom 10 all three seasons, Poindexter's defense kept the Huskies alive to some extent. UCONN ranked in the top 65 in total defense all three years including twice in the top 50 in his final two seasons. To do that while getting basically no offensive help is quite the achievement.
Poindexter checks a lot of boxes and would make a lot of sense for Pry to target as his next defensive coordinator. The one challenge could be the timing of things given that Penn State is tied up with the CFB Playoff. However, his past ties to Pry and the likely lack of schematic changes would allow Tech's staff to cover those potential recruiting gaps given that they'd be able to assure transfers that Poindexter falls under the Pry banner and that their fit won't suddenly change once he arrives if he's the guy.
