Sources: Virginia Tech is targeting Arizona Cardinals LB coach Sam Siefkes as the school's new defensive coordinator. Siefkes is an integral part of the Cardinals' innovative NFL scheme, and he brings collegiate defensive coordinator experience, including a stint at Wofford. pic.twitter.com/FNKxzg8Fah— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 27, 2025
He brings NFL experience from two seasons with the Vikings as a quality control coach and the assistant linebackers coach. Along with his time at Wofford, he's also coordinated defense at UW-Platteville.— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 27, 2025
He brings NFL experience from two seasons with the Vikings as a quality control coach and the assistant linebackers coach. Along with his time at Wofford, he's also coordinated defense at UW-Platteville.— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 27, 2025
[Mod Edit: Embed original report.]
Comments
Here's comes the message board rioters.
Might want to go to 247Sports for that.
It's gotta be an absolute shit show over there.
Time to fire Whit, Pry, and everyone else associated with the football program.
Burn it to the ground, and salt the earth.
EDIT - My bad, that was too much.
Just don't get this hire, at all.
Just because he isn't a top level "known" DC doesn't mean he might not be a top level DC. I am willing to give him the benefit of time. He gets a year at least.
Edit: Upvote for the overreaction redaction
Appreciate it.
While I'm full on fire them all, this is not any reason to do so, that was the Miami game this is atleast intriguing to see what the defense looks like.
I think there's little to no chance Pry survives beyond this year.
I think I'd like him as a person, but he and his staff just seem *way* in over their heads in terms of in-game management.
Long odds for sure. I want Pry to succeed. I think firing underperforming coaches was a step in the right direction. We'll see how his hires do. His own game management needs work. Hopefully he's reflected on that this off season and has a plan to clean up that part of his job.
I do think Pry has a shot at turning things around and saving his job but he's definitely got an uphill battle. I'm rooting for him but my expectations are low. His record in one score games and against noncon P4 teams is telling. That's going to take a lot of work to undo. Will he get the time? Idk.
A small part of me wants to see Pry succeed for the simple fact that if he doesn't I'm worried Whit will be able to hire the next coach and I'm becoming increasingly less confident in his ability to land top football coaches.
I agree that he turned down the heat on his seat by jettisoning his DC / OL coach / S&C coach, but there's a good chance we're right on the cusp of / miss bowl eligibility next year and I just don't think any changes will make that go over well.
I think there is also a chance that the game management aspect might be something that lured Bud back to assist with. He can work with Pry on hey, take a timeout.
I don't think he's in over his head in game management. I think he's just bad. There's a difference
Can you explain the difference?
Bad is his clock management skills, its a skill most 13 year olds have, he knows he needs to do it, he just doesn't do it well
Over his head is not planning for duplicate numbers on the field
I feel like there's gotta be someone on the staff that can assist with that / help him learn over time.
IMO "in over his head" is someone who's scrambling for answers and confused on how to do things. See #TX2VT and Fuente roster management.
Bad is someone who makes confident choices, but they're the wrong choices. See James Franklin game management. Which is where Pry learned game management.
"learned"
Definitely a wait and see hire. Unfortunately for him he likely won't have much time to prove himself.
WHO IS THIS MAN AND HOW IS HE TIED TO JOHN BALLEIN?
Now, this is comedy!
I feel like this is the name you leak to Thamel to make everyone feel better about your actual pick staying in-house and promoting
JC Pricepick a name.Edit: Does it matter who? I mean, even if we went as far down the line as to promote Adibi, I would at least have some semblance of excitement that a Hokie was getting a big opportunity.
EDIT: Yea you're right, basically anybody already on staff.
I think you have a good point, though. I wonder if Pry had a short call with him because an agent asked for a favor or something and then this got linked. I guess we'll see though! This seems so out of left field that I have a hard time making any sense of it.
JC was the first name that popped in my head. But seriously... any current defensive staff's name works about the same.
Thamel works for CAA. Sure, the byline says ESPN but he is a press front for the agents first and foremost.
Can he recruiticorn?
I don't think it matters that much. I think it's much more important that your position coaches and your head coach recruit and your coordinators coordinate. Obviously Bowen is a top recruiter, which is why you overlook his faults as a coordinator.
I very much wish we had some beat reporters that had a set of nuts and asked Pry at the presser, why did this turn into such a cluster. Some sort of explanation is needed.
It is the tried and true Wofford to VT coaching pipeline.....it has worked so well for men's basketball.
ACC Championship would like a word
I mean it's not Murray State, but ok.
This is almost...almost...the same thing as hiring Belichek, right? RIGHT?! 😭😭😭
Some tidbits from his time at Arizona, coached up an unheralded LB group:
Link Here
/s
Totally under appreciated comment here.......
agreed. I got a good chuckle out of it
"Targeting" isn't the same as a done deal. But a combination of the length of time this has taken and the smoke around this dude + Bateman indicates to me that it the search has not gone to plan and we are pretty far down our list of candidates.
We can only hope Thamel understands "targeting" as well as most officiating crews
I feel like Roy today
Pressure is gonna be on from day 1 with a hire like that, no grace period
I'm pretty sure it was going to be on from day 1, no matter what.
Small chance but Ryan Smith (yes, that Ryan Smith from the Fuente era) could be coming along as a Co-DC/Safeties coach.
Smith currently in his second year as CB coach for the Cardinals.
The only one who was decent at his job.
That would be cool Smith was one of the few bright spots on that staff.
So you are saying we don't need a DC that focuses on LB's?
I'm not sure whom you guys would have been happy with.
This is so funny because over the last "how many ever days it's been since we fired Marve", sooo many names have been put out and this one was never mentioned.
46. 46 days
Leigh Fordham sold me out.
46 days and the coal ran out.
Please come round here another day.
Sit yourself down when you're ready to stay.
Pry found out he was ready to roam
47 days and the coal came home
Well that's because no one has heard of him
Could have made the same hire six weeks ago.
It's clear Pry took a big swing to try to get Knowles (right move) but failed. Then Dex wants to stay at PSU to be Franklin's personal cuck. This was an off-the-radar hire that no one expected.
LMAO What? We tried to get Knowles? First I've heard.
Dex probably doesn't want to uproot his life/career to work for a lame duck coach.
I don't believe the Knowles narrative at all.
There was no reason why he'd even look in our direction, he was fresh off a National Championship with programs like OU, ND, OSU, and PSU in the mix offering him $2.75M+
Even if Knowles was considering VT... If you're that accomplished of a DC, are you really going to agree/want to have Bud Foster around in a "Jerry Kill type role?"
Especially since his apparent reason for leaving OSU was he didn't have autonomy of the defense
Evidently it has quickly progressed from "targets" to "expected to hire"
I don't hate this hire. Everyone has to start somewhere- if this guy succeeds, no one will care what his resume says.
He probably wasn't our first choice, and that happens. We'll see what he can do. If he fails, Pry fails, and Whit fails. We'll have a whole new AD to try and restart and pull us back to relevance (but here's hoping Pry can do that!)
I agree with these comments:
Either he'll be good and save BP's job or he won't be and we'll have a clean slate in 2026. Just gotta wait and see.
And if everyone gets canned our roster is in much better shape than when Pry took over. Even if he never gets the wins, he has put us in a much better place to succeed.
Until they all transfer out
Unless it's a Marshall situation we'll be okay IMO and hopefully if you make a good hire, they fill the gaps with their own guys.
Not only that, but I think he pushed the administration/boosters to have a realistic view of where we are in the CFB pecking order.
I can't wait to hear the "coach speak" that Pry uses when talking about this hire and tells us that he has been our guy all along.
Lots of thoughts here, and very muddled. Really good and creative young coach, and part of the staff that has innovated the use of three high safeties to make up for a lack of front seven talent in the NFL/good defenses at Wofford etc, but potentially a complete system change. Does Pry have time to retool and recruit to a new scheme?
Do the five new safeties fit a scheme of three high safeties?
I had guessed nickel, but honestly hadn't considered a 3 safety look.
Got a bunch of safeties, rangy athletic LB, and two standup LB/edge hybrids for a reason
So uhh was this the plan for a while?
I mean what coach doesn't like rangy athletic defensive players? No one says i want a guy moves like a tugboat
Ravens DC Marvin Lewis when they had Siragusa and Adams in the middle to keep Ray Lewis clean to run away from the scene of the crime.
"to keep Ray Lewis clean to run away from the scene of the crime"
I see what you did there and I LOVE IT.
This guy has less of a resume than our last two DCs. He has been a position coach in the NFL for 2 seasons, Assistant position coach 1 season, QC one season, and then DC at FCS for 3 seasons, heck Quinn has a better resume.
Are they paying him less than Marve? I mean NFL positions coaches make less than most P4 position coaches so .... big raise.
His resume is better than Marve. He wasn't getting run out of town as a position coach like Marve was.
That's fair
Hey, Welcome to our new Hokie Sam Siefkes.
For apparently all of The Key Play and Hokie Nation, welcome to your new HOME.
We hope you have a long a fruitful career coaching our gridiron mates to our First National Championship in Football.
Welcome and Congratulations.
Lets Go!
Def disappointing when you're used to Foster level standards and as a program "historically" known for defense and special teams. Would expect to hire someone of similar defensive renown or someone would be attracted to the potential for similar success. But it is what it is at this point.
Remember, Foster was basically an unknown until he did it here.
1981–1982
Murray State (GA)
1983–1985
Murray State (OLB)
1986
Murray State (LB/ST)
1987
Virginia Tech (ILB)
1988–1992
Virginia Tech (OLB)
1993
Virginia Tech (LB/ST)
1994
Virginia Tech (ILB/ST)
1995–2015
Virginia Tech (DC/ILB)
2016–2019
Virginia Tech (AHC/DC/LB)
True I just don't expect us to be in a take a chance on someone situation with how the program was elevated those years ago. Guess it just explains the situation that the program was placed in.
I think what's so agonizing is that we probably fell from being a top 20 program to being a top 40 program, and because of how the sport has stratified it certainly feels like we're on the outside looking in, for the foreseeable future.
I think it's even worse honestly. There are some historically bad football programs that have the benefit of huge donors who have turned their fortunes around quickly. We haven't been successful for well over a decade and don't have money. It's truly bad. I think this program is cooked.
Just takes one big donor to turn it around though!
Yes that was the argument for Marve, bring some one you have mentored a while amd let him grow into the position over 14 years.
Agreed. And nice thought.
I will say that the odds are highly against us having landed the next Bud Foster though.
Not trying to be negative, however this hire doesn't move the needle. I really hope I am wrong.
So.......still on the far side of the bottom half of the League. Okay...? Cool. Cool cool cool cool cool.
Counter point, they jumped 1/3, almost 1/2 of the league in improvement
With probably the worst collection of defensive talent in the NFL.
Yep. Budda Baker and chicken feed
First, I doubt anyone here really has enough first-hand knowledge about him to really judge his acumen as a potential D.C. hire (unless there are some closet Wofford Football fanatics among us).
Two things that do worry me:
1. There is no apparent connection to VT or this Staff that I can find....it almost seems like Pry literally got a Rolodex of NFL Defensive Position coaches and cold-called until someone expressed some interest.
2. Very questionable what his effectiveness will be in Recruiting, certainly not something you have to do in the NFL and 3 years at Wofford isn't in the same realm as what will be expected to be successful Recruiting here
Really a big mystery how this will turn out, he could be a surprise homerun or this could be the last gasp for a sinking ship.
Well...thank God, Bud will be on staff as a consultant for some OTJ.
Welcome Home, Sam Siefkes
Hokie Nation, please welcome Sam Siefkes as Virginia Tech football's new defensive coordinator! Siefkes, a highly regarded defensive mind with coaching experience at numerous levels of football, brings an impressive resume including successful stints in the NFL, FBS, FCS, and Division III.
Hokie Sports announcement
https://clk.hokiesports.com/e/es?s=2977661&e=100389&elqTrackId=4e4927f9b...
A little more detail as to why Pry and team are targeting Siefkes.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/43588504/virginia-tech-targeting-cardinals-lbs-coach-sam-siefkes-defensive-coordinator-sources-say
I think on the positive side you can say
1) In the other threads people found reasons to doubt the perceived favorite candidates. I think all of them except Tim Banks has multiple negative comments and he was pretty unrealistic.
2) Linebacker was the position the Hokies have been the worst at and an NFL LB coach should be able to help with that
3) Pry has gone outside of his scheme and found someone working on an innovative scheme
On the probably stronger negative side:
1) Very little real experience as a recruiter or coordinator
2) No idea how he will be able to mesh with what Pry wants to do unless Pry has decided to go way more hands off with the D
3) If it is the latter this seems pretty late to make sure they have the personnel to run what he wants
I'll be very interested to see what Virginia Tech and Pry lead with as justification. I'm also curious if VT stacking the safety room in the transfer portal means Pry has been looking at 3-high guys all along. Although that seems unlikely. Ultimately I wish this was a hire that was giving confidence instead of curiosity.
COOKED
I have no other option to assume we will not be good defensively until he can show out in Atlanta and give me hope (if we win or a close loss that falls on poor offensive performance) #ForeverPessimism
All of the fans upset now will be more upset later when he leaves but remember the welcome you gave him! This is a really good hire and under the radar for sure. Remember this post so I don't have to bring it up later on down the road because I will. A lot of you do not realize what we just got, lightning in a bottle!
Ha ha.
I've met this guy.
My 5 minute impression, for what it's worth. (Not much, I know...)
Very intelligent. VERY intense. Lives and breathes football and defense and schemes, but also seemed relatable.
Is it a splash hire? Hell no. Was it our first choice? I seriously doubt it. Could it be an awesome hire? Could be.... Could it be a bust and take down Pry and Whit.... yes.
A little back story: met him on a recruiting visit years back when my son was making the rounds.
He was touted as a great new defensive mind, but new, young and untested.
Gonna be an interesting ride....
Go Hokies.
Since exactly zero of you have mentioned this yet, Sam Siefkes anagrams to Kisses Fame, so i am certain we'll look back at this as a brilliant hire.
Also anagrams to Fake Misses. Could also be fools gold. High risk high reward
No, no, no - you've got it wrong Fake Misses aren't real misses, which means they are Hits.
It's actually Misses Fake, which is why he isn't special teams
I got in a lot of trouble the last time I hired a fake Misses, so this seems like a bad omen.
Not that there's anything wrong with that, but these are confusing times.
Story time!
You mean you hired a.......Beard?
Welp. We hired someone. So that's good. I almost thought I might get a new job before we hired a DC. Oh well.
I don't love or hate this hire. It feels like we whiffed on our top targets and settled. But, frankly, I don't know that any of us really know whether that's actually true.
I think Pry has to realize that he needed to nail this hire to save his job. Maybe he did some serious digging and rigorous interviews and legitimately thinks this is the best fit. Who knows?
Time will tell. I agree with posters above that he'll either be great and save Pry's skin or he'll flop and we're back to the drawing board. The only piece I'm not sure I agree with is Whit being gone after Pry fails. I don't want Whit to make the next hire but I'm not sure he's going to be shown out.
Yeah I have also been having that thought of whether it took a while because they missed on other candidates or it took a while because Pry had to do a lot of self-work to figure out what he wants his role to be and what makes the most sense for the players VT can get and the college game today.
Never heard of this guy, and I don't love that he's been tainted by working under Jonathan Gannon who is and always will be dead to me.
but if he can fix our LB play I'm all for it
If all this is true, especially the part about teaching, then he can be successful. I still think the reason Scot Loeffler wasn't successful here is because he wasn't a good teacher of his knowledge. Is he a good motivator? Yes, which is why I think he's still doing great at Bowling Green. He probably also realizes that Bowling Green level is his ceiling and he better stay where he can be successful.
Positive RE recruiting. He was out to see an uncommitted 4 star 2025 DE the day his hiring was announced. I don't think I ever saw a photo of Marve doing an in home visit (I easily could be wrong, but if he did they didn't publicize it the way the highlighted Jones, Quinn, Bowen, and Mines in home.)
Marve wasn't a publicist, teacher, or lineup manager. He was hostile towards the media. All he did was rattle off coach speak, in a delivery that sounded like the "rides a 10 speed everywhere guy" from family guy.
Our offense wasn't always stellar, but they put up enough points to win games. Marve was too busy playing the wrong people for some unknown reason to be bothered to figure out how to stop the other team from scoring in the second half.
Andy Bitter gave a funny anecdote regarding Marve on the TSL podcast after the staff changes were announced. He said during the Stanford post game presser he asked Marve, "hey what did you think about that Vanderbilt Alabama game?" Since Marve obviously is a Vandy grad and they upset #1 Bama. To Bitter's surprise, Marve looked completely confused like it was a question he did not prepare or pre-rehearse for and got a very confused look on his face and walked away. Bitter said it was very odd and reinforced that he was a very pre-programmed robotic coach who couldn't adjust on the fly.
Just like our defenses
Matches what we saw on the field.
Okay, so is there actually a correlation between being able to think on your feet in a conversation and being able to make quick adjustments to on the field situations? The more I think about it the more I tend to think, yeah there probably is. Thoughts or examples either way?
Basically, it's the difference between just knowing facts and being smart.
Yes, everybody should go listen to that episode or at least that anecdote. It was really interesting insight into Marve.