There have been plenty of rumors about various candidates for Virginia Tech’s defensive coordinator opening. While it does seem like the Hokies should be close to a hire, they still have an opening at DC as of now.
So as the Hokies’ search continues on, I’m going to make the case for various rumored (legitimate or pure fan speculation) names as the next defensive coordinator.
Let’s start with a name speculated by Hokie fans more than any other during this search, Penn State co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter. We'll start by diving into a few positives about Poindexter and then the top negative.
Positives
Schematic Consistency and Trust
Let's start with the fact that Brent Pry has no plans for a defensive schematic overhaul, saying in Charlotte that it would be like taking multiple steps back to take a step forward. While Pry is open to some schematic tweaks to fit a new defensive coordinator, this will not be a complete transformation nor should it be.
Given the fact that Poindexter worked with Pry for a year and has a 4-3/4-2-5 background in general at Penn State, it's pretty clear that Poindexter would fit that mold.
Poindexter also likely has a good working relationship with Pry that would help with any transition into Pry's operation and likely give Pry some greater comfort handing the defensive reigns over to Poindexter early on. Given how hands on Pry was with Chris Marve early on, having someone who he knows well and trust may be a good thing for Pry to be able to step back and focus more on his head coach duties rather than adjusting to a defensive coordinator who he isn't as familiar with.
Poindexter also is someone who has been a defensive coordinator under a defensive head coach so he understands what that dynamic can be like. He also built a top 65 defense all three seasons as the DC at UCONN for Bob Diaco, which was impressive given that the Huskies had a bottom top 10 offense all three of those seasons. The fact that he landed at Purdue as a co-DC after getting fired at UCONN is another sign of what the industry felt about his abilities as a coach.
For this to work the best, there needs to be both some schematic consistency and immediate trust to hand the reigns over, both of which Poindexter can offer from their overlapping times at Penn State to his successful coaching career to date including as a DC at UCONN.
