VT Football: Sources Give Insight Into Justin Hamilton Hire, Charley Wiles Departure, New DL Addition Of Bill Teerlinck & More Staff Changes
Nobody — even the Hokies' fans that follow every aspect of the program & media that cover Virginia Tech — predicted the departure of longtime defensive coordinator Bud Foster would lead to a wave of coaching changes for Justin Fuente's staff.
As each week passed, the focus honed more and more on Foster's final outings, rightly so. When the long break between the regular season finale and Belk Bowl came, folks began to keep tabs on the search to replace Foster, but that's where the focus stayed.
While it's likely Fuente would have kept Foster around as long as the brilliant defensive mind wanted to coach, it's clear his retirement forced the Hokies' front man to evaluate his entire staff. We know about a few of the key hires so far and there are clearly more on the way. It's obvious Fuente feels like this group is close, and he believes a few coaching additions could be the final pieces to push Virginia Tech football to the heights fans have been yearning for.
Sports Illustrated Hokies Maven has spent the last few weeks gaining nuggets of information & talking to various sources close to the VT football program. None of this information is earth-shattering. Still, we came away with a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse into the coaching shakeups under the guidance of Fuente and the decisions to part ways with long-time assistants, while revamping other areas with new faces, energy and expertise.
Let's dive in to what we know at this point:
The Barry Odom rumors and surprising hiring of Justin Hamilton as Hokies’ defensive coordinator
On a late Saturday night in early December, SI Hokies’ Maven published a piece stating Barry Odom — the former Mizzou head coach with strong ties to Fuente — was out as a contender for the Virginia Tech defensive coordinator vacancy silencing the rumors. Credible sources from inside the Memphis football program were confident Odom was the clear frontrunner for the Tigers’ head gig as soon as Mike Norvell accepted the Florida State job. Still, they couldn’t confirm a deal was imminent (hence my careful wording in that piece, and we now know Odom was not hired and ended up taking the Arkansas DC gig).
So was Odom ever truly considered a serious candidate to replace Foster at Tech?
There were at least informal discussions between Fuente, the Virginia Tech brass and Odom about the DC vacancy but there was never anything serious in place. The VT brass always knew Odom was going to chase another head coaching job before considering anything else and naturally, Virginia Tech was ready to move forward in their search to replace Foster.
When Odom was officially ruled out, it was difficult to identify who the Hokies would trust in filling the void left by one of the best defensive coordinators of all time. Former Hokies' defensive assistant Torrian Gray -- who is now on the Florida staff -- was a name that surfaced in the rumor mills, but a Virginia Tech source was adamant there was never any consideration to bring him back & Gray wasn't on the radar.
Less than 24 hours after our report on Odom out as a candidate in Blacksburg, Virginia Tech football announced Justin Hamilton — viewed as an under-the-radar candidate who has led the Hokies' safeties under Fuente — was hired to replace Foster as the new Virginia Tech defensive coordinator. The move was surprising for many. Hamilton was a name some VT fans knew, but others didn't. His work was largely showcased behind-the-scenes.
Like many, we wanted to learn as much as possible about Hamilton and the decision to choose a young in-house defensive assistant and why he was deemed as the clear choice to tackle a massive undertaking as the Hokies' defensive leader.
Here are some key takeaways gained from the trusted source plugged directly into the day-to-day operations of Virginia Tech football about the Hamilton hire:
- Hamilton was always Fuente's top choice. While we confirmed there were informal conversations with Odom (Fuente coached with him at various spots and they are friends after all), both parties quickly knew they were going in other directions and the talks were never serious. Fuente has been adamant Hamilton was the guy all along, and in typical "Fu" fashion, kept it close to the vest.
- Hamilton earned a ringing endorsement from Foster himself, which obviously speaks volumes. That can't be understated and it's both smart and refreshing to know Foster had a major influence in the hire of his successor.
- It became glaringly evident Hamilton has the full trust of the Hokies’ young, talented defensive core, which gave him the edge over an outside hire. One source noted how the entire locker room clearly, unequivocally respects Hamilton. Last fall, Hamilton was the go-to guy for players seeking advice and counsel. Several key players have echoed this sentiment publicly, most notably, Devon Hunter.
Beyond Hamilton’s relationship, familiarity and trust with the current roster, the hire was clearly viewed as the first move of many in a coaching overhaul spearheaded by Fuente. We now know the additions of former Hokies’ star Darryl Tapp (defensive assistant) and former Minnesota head coach Tracy Claeys (linebackers coach) were moves to bolster Hamilton's new staff.
Obviously there are still pieces of the puzzle to round out the 2020 Hokies' staff, but we should have more clarity on some other key hires coming soon.
The sudden departure of Charley Wiles
The decision to part ways with Wiles — who has been a staple on the VT football staff for 24 years — sent shock waves through the Hokies’ community. Foster himself said he wished it would have been handled differently and noted Wiles deserved as much recognition as he did on his way out. Initially, it felt like Wiles was simply hanging it up and joining his buddy (Foster) in retirement, but we quickly learned that wasn’t the case. We quickly realized the longtime assistant plans to continue his coaching career and he didn't coach in the Belk Bowl, which felt like things ended with a bit of tension.
"Hopefully folks can see we tried to show Coach Wiles as much respect for his accomplishments & tenure as possible," one VT source told SI Hokies Maven. "There were other ways behind the scenes we tried to take care of Charley, 24 years in one spot in the coaching business is rare and we recognized that accomplishment."
Hokies strike gold with addition of Bill Teerlinck as the new defensive line coach
UPDATE: Virginia Tech officially announced the hiring of new Defensive Line Coach Bill Teerlinck on Wednesday who is joining Fuente's staff after serving in the same role for the Buffalo Bills. As we noted in the original piece alluding to an announcement coming this week, there's no way to view Teerlinck as a significant upgrade for a Hokies' front that has talent, but hasn't been nearly as dominant as it can be.
The simple fact Teerlinck opted to leave his post in the NFL to join Fuente in Blacksburg back in the collegiate ranks speaks volumes about how the Hokies' head coach is viewed by his peers. This wasn't even close to a situation where Teerlinck was forced out of Buffalo, fired or trending in the wrong direction in the NFL and chose to bail. In fact, it's quite the opposite.
The eight-year NFL coaching veteran is coming off a 2019 campaign where he played a pivotal role in helping the Bills' close out the season ranked third in total defense, a major reason behind their AFC Wildcard berth. In 2018, Buffalo ranked second in the NFL in total defense and first in pass defense. Keep in mind, Teerlinck was promoted to full-time DL coach ahead of the 2018 campaign, and for the team to lead the league in those categories while he mastered the Buffalo front is beyond impressive.
" I believe Bill is one of the best in the business in terms of coaching the defensive line," Fuente said about the new hire. "He's worked his way up the coaching ranks and has learned from some of the NFL's most respected coaches."
Any word on a new DB's coach?
One of the final pieces to round out the 2020 staff will be the hire of a new defensive backs coach. Former Hokies' and NFL great Pierson Prioleau, who currently serves as the Director of Player Development, filled in to prep the VT defensive backs for the Belk Bowl. Could Prioleau have been auditioning for that gig full-time? Maybe, maybe not.
Takeaways from the moves so far...
In the presser leading up to the Belk Bowl, Fuente indicated the composition of the coaching staff has a number of components – fit with the other staff members, on-field ability, game planning, recruiting, etc. He's reiterated that just like the roster, the coaching staff has to compliment each other – different strengths from different folks – the compilation of the parts has to be more important than the individual pieces. It feels like all these moves (including letting Zohn Burden (running backs) and Brian Mitchell (defensive backs) go fall in line with Fuente's philosophy moving forward.
The slew of coaching changes feels like a major move forward and message from Fuente about expectations for Virginia Tech football moving forward. Finally, he has an opportunity to assemble a diverse staff he hand-picked instead of operating with a mixture of his guys and holdovers from the Beamer era. Let me be clear. None of this is a knock on Beamer, Foster or any of the staff members from the previous regime that were retained by Fuente in his first few years at the helm. It's a credit to Fuente's openness and adaptability to come into a new place, seamlessly work -- and find success with Foster -- while leaning on guys like Wiles and Beamer himself without any awkward tension. Anyone who follows college football knows that kind of transition almost never works, but it did.
Now, though?
It's time for Fuente to do anything and everything he deems necessary to push Virginia Tech over the mountain that has been a consistent obstacle since the days of Michael Vick.
This team has the talent.
It has the resources and facilities.
Its watched Clemson, a conference opponent that isn't any more equipped than VT, ascend into a national powerhouse.
Virginia Tech fans remain divided on their opinion of Fuente, but the 2020 campaign should finally provide necessary clarity. I've always felt like he was underrated and the perfect guy to elevate the program from good to great. Let's see if these coaching changes, paired with a young, hungry ultra-talented roster is the formula.
Fuente isn't on any kind of hot seat in Blacksburg, but he didn't take the job to continue to produce mediocre seasons. Slowly but surely, he's established a culture based on grit, character and determination. He's proven himself as a top-tier recruiter and has leaned on a talented staff to elevate various areas of the program. Maybe, just maybe, these final hires will be the answer and Virginia Tech will finally make a run at the College Football Playoff.
