Virginia Football Coaches Targeted for Open Spots on Other Coaching Staffs

Robert Anae, Jason Beck, and Mark Atuaia are top candidates for offensive coaching staffs at other programs

Matt Newton | Dec 20, 2021

Photo courtesy of Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images

As new UVA football head coach Tony Elliott deliberates on his coaching staff, including deciding if he wants to retain some of Bronco Mendenhall's coaching staff, some of those coaches are being considered for positions on coaching staffs at other college football programs.

Virginia running backs coach Mark Atuaia is expected to be hired as the new running backs coach at Washington State, as first reported by Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel on Monday morning.

Sources: Washington State is expected to hire former Virginia RB coach Mark Atuaia as the school’s next running backs coach. Prior to his six years at UVA, Atuaia spent three years at BYU as RB coach.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 20, 2021

Atuaia has been with Bronco Mendenhall as his running backs coach since 2013. Since arriving at Virginia in 2016, Atuaia has helped develop multiple 1,000-yard career rushers out of the Cavalier running backs, including Taquan Mizzell, Jordan Ellis, and Wayne Taulapapa. Atuaia also coached Jamaal Williams at BYU and the Cougars' running game was the 10th best in the nation at 267.3 yards per game in 2013.

Jake Dickert was named the new head coach at Washington State on November 27th and was the interim head coach of the Cougars for the final five games of the season after Washington State fired Nick Rolovich for failure to comply with the state requirement for COVID-19 vaccination. Dickert had been the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at WSU since 2020.

Following the conclusion of the regular season, Syracuse head coach Dino Babers made the announcement that three coaching staff members would not be returning to the team next season. Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Sterlin Gilbert, tight ends and inside receivers coach Reno Ferri, and defensive line coach Vinson Reynolds will no longer be on the Syracuse coaching staff.

On Sunday, it was reported by Pete Thamel that the Orange were targeting two members of the Virginia coaching staff to fill some of those vacant positions.

Sources: Syracuse is targeting two Virginia coaches for open spots on the Orange's offensive coaching staff – recently departed UVA OC Robert Anae as the offensive coordinator and current QB coach Jason Beck as the QB coach.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 20, 2021

One of those targets is Virginia offensive coordinator Robert Anae, who has apparently left the UVA football program and will not coach or call plays in Virginia's bowl game against SMU on December 29th, as reported on Saturday by Mike Barber at the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

#UVA offensive coordinator Robert Anae has left the program. Quarterbacks coach Jason Beck will call plays against SMU in the Fenway Bowl.
— Mike Barber (@RTD_MikeBarber) December 18, 2021

The other target for the Orange is Virginia quarterbacks coach Jason Beck, who will be handling play-calling duties for the Cavaliers in the Fenway Bowl.

There has been no confirmation yet of the details of the hiring process for Atuaia at Washington State or for Anae and Beck at Syracuse. But, these moves certainly make sense as none of these coaches' current jobs are guaranteed and they are attractive candidates given their roles in producing one of the top offenses in the country this season. Virginia's offense was ranked third among FBS programs in total offense and No. 1 in the ACC.

Read more from Cavaliers Now