The Argument for Glenn Schumann to be the next VT Football Coach

I'm continuing to drop some posts evaluating guys on my radar who could potentially be the next guy for VT. This is my sixth post, and my first post about someone who is not a sitting headcoach. Check out the previous five:

1. WKU coach Tyson Helton
2. JMU coach Bob Chesney
3. UNLV coach Dan Mullen
4. Iowa State coach Matt Campbell
5. Southern Miss coach Charles Huff

This week: Glenn Schumann

Who is Glenn Schumann?

Glenn Schumann is the 35-year-old defensive coordinator at Georgia who has quietly become one of the most successful assistants in college football. The Valdosta, Georgia native has been part of six national championship teams across stints at Alabama and Georgia, making him one of the most decorated coordinators available.

Unlike most coaches, Schumann never played college football. Instead, he showed up at Alabama as a student in 2008 and asked Nick Saban for a role as a student assistant (side note: how wild is that). Saban brought him on, and Schumann quickly became an in-house expert on defensive schemes. When Kirby Smart left Alabama for Georgia in 2016, Schumann was Smart's first hire.

The coordinator-to-head-coach question: Is Schumann the next Lanning, or the next Pry?

The most important question for any coordinator-to-head-coach transition is simple: can they replicate their success when they're fully in charge? Georgia's recent history provides one data point. Dan Lanning served as Georgia's co-defensive coordinator alongside Schumann from 2019-2021 before taking the Oregon job. Lanning has since gone 35-6 in three seasons, won the Big Ten in his first year in the conference, and earned an 'A' grade from CBS Sports for his first three years.

But Virginia Tech has a much more relevant—and sobering—comparison: Brent Pry.

Like Schumann, Pry was a highly-regarded defensive coordinator at Penn State who spent years coordinating elite defenses under a defensive-minded head coach (James Franklin). Like Schumann, Pry's defenses consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally in total defense. Like Schumann, Pry was patient about taking a head coaching job, turning down multiple opportunities (or not pursuing any interest? Believe what you will) before accepting the Virginia Tech position. Like Schumann, Pry had zero head coaching experience at any level.

The result? Pry went 3-8 in his first season at Virginia Tech and has struggled to recruit at the level necessary to compete in the ACC. While he's improved to bowl eligibility, he's nowhere near the trajectory Virginia Tech hoped for when they hired him.

So which is Schumann: Lanning or Pry? The honest answer is we have no idea. Lanning had more diverse experience (Arizona, Memphis, Alabama, Georgia) before becoming a head coach. He also took over an Oregon program with significantly more resources and recruiting advantages than what Pry inherited at Virginia Tech—or what Schumann would inherit. Marcus Freeman offers a third data point—promoted to head coach at Notre Dame after just one season as a P5 defensive coordinator, he's gone 30-9 and reached the CFP. But Freeman had previous coordinator experience at Cincinnati and Purdue, and he's coaching at a blue-blood program with elite resources.

The pattern isn't as clear as it seems: elite coordinators from elite programs can succeed as head coaches, but they can also struggle mightily when they don't have the same talent and resources. For every Dan Lanning success story, there's many more Brent Pry-esk cautionary tales.

His defensive track record speaks for itself

As Georgia's co-defensive coordinator along side Lanning, Schumann's defenses have been nothing short of elite. From 2019-2022, Georgia led the nation in combined scoring defense (13.6 points per game) and rushing defense (75.7 yards per game) while ranking second in total defense.

As sole defensive coordinator in 2023, Georgia ranked 5th nationally in scoring defense (15.6 points per game) and topped the country in third-down conversion defense (25.7%). The 2024 season saw some regression, but context matters. The Bulldogs were unusually young, particularly up front, yet still fielded a competitive unit that propelled them to the CFP semifinals.

He develops NFL talent at an elite level—but is it recruiting or development?

Schumann's inside linebacker room has become an NFL assembly line. Since becoming position coach in 2016, he's produced three Butkus Award winners (given to the nation's best linebacker): Roquan Smith (2017), Nakobe Dean (2021), and Jalon Walker (2024). That's unprecedented for a single position coach over such a short span.

But here's the critical question: how much of that success is Schumann developing talent versus Schumann recruiting elite talent that would have succeeded anywhere?

Let's look at the data. Roquan Smith was a four-star recruit who Schumann didn't actually recruit—Smith was already at Georgia when Schumann arrived in 2016. Nakobe Dean was a five-star recruit, the #1 inside linebacker in his class. Jalon Walker was also a five-star recruit. Of Schumann's drafted linebackers, five were four-star recruits, one was a three-star, and one was a two-star (who was recruited as a running back and later switched positions).

Could Schumann land five-star linebackers at Virginia Tech? If our lord and savior Bud Foster couldn't do it, I doubt that Schumann could. Dean chose Georgia over Alabama, LSU, and Stanford. Walker was the #1 linebacker prospect in his class. These are elite recruits who had their pick of any program in the country—and they chose Georgia.

Schumann clearly develops talent well—you don't coach three Butkus Award winners by accident. But it's impossible to separate his development track record from the elite recruiting classes Georgia brings in. At Virginia Tech, Schumann would need to develop three-star linebackers into NFL talent, not polish five-star recruits into first-rounders. That's a completely different challenge.

How much is Kirby Smart vs. how much is Schumann?

This is the critical question that makes evaluating Schumann difficult. As a former coordinator and co-creator of the pattern-match defense, Smart is intimately involved with Georgia's defense. Even with Schumann calling plays, Smart's fingerprints are all over the operation.

Schumann himself acknowledges this: "There's a whole staff input in everything that we do. The base structures have carried over from all the years that I've been involved with Coach Smart going back to Alabama."

However, several factors suggest Schumann deserves significant credit: First, he's been the defensive play-caller since 2022, giving him three full seasons of in-game decision-making experience. Second, Smart trusted him enough to make him sole defensive coordinator over more experienced candidates. Third, NFL teams have shown interest—the Philadelphia Eagles interviewed him for their defensive coordinator position in 2023. You usually don't get NFL looks if you're just riding coattails.

It's impossible to separate Schumann's impact from Smart's. But, the same was true for Lanning, and he's thriving at Oregon. The question isn't whether Schumann can replicate Georgia's success at Virginia Tech; it's whether he can build a competitive program with fewer resources.

His recruiting is strong, but not elite

Schumann has proven he can recruit at a high level, particularly at the linebacker position where he's landed five-star recruits in multiple recruiting cycles. The top-rated linebacker prospect in the 2024 class, Justin Williams, came to Georgia largely because of Schumann. He was ranked #12 nationally in 247Sports' 2019 recruiter rankings, serving as the primary recruiter for five-star edge rusher Nolan Smith and playing key roles in landing other elite prospects.

What does this mean for Virginia Tech? Schumann clearly knows how to evaluate talent and has deep ties to the Southeast. But there's a massive difference between recruiting five-stars to Georgia versus recruiting three- and four-stars to Virginia Tech.

Schumann is a good recruiter at an elite program. Whether he can recruit well enough to build a winner at Virginia Tech is completely unknown.

Schumann's drawing some head coaching

He's been patient and selective. Unlike some coordinators who jump at the first opportunity, Schumann has turned down multiple chances to leave Georgia. He interviewed for the Philadelphia Eagles DC job and drew interest from North Carolina's head coaching search, but stayed put.

But does that suggest he's waiting for the right opportunity or does it suggest he's not interviewing well enough to land better jobs? It's worth noting that Schumann interviewed for the Eagles job and didn't get it—they went with another candidate. He drew interest from North Carolina, but they didn't offer him the job (same was said of Somrall). His patience could be strategic wisdom, but it could also be that programs with more resources and better situations simply aren't offering him positions.

He's highly regarded across the industry. On3's Andy Staples ranked him as the third-best defensive coordinator in the nation. ESPN's Adam Rittenberg put him at the top of his list of coordinators poised for head coaching roles, noting his "high-level success" across six national championship teams.

Players vouch for him. Georgia linebacker Raylen Wilson praised Schumann's daily coaching, saying he provides "a new nugget every day" that helps with development. That kind of consistent, detailed teaching translates well to head coaching.

The concerns are legitimate

He has zero experience outside of Alabama and Georgia—two programs with elite resources, recruiting, and institutional support. Those are the only two places he's ever coached. Can he build a winner at a program that doesn't recruit in the top 10 every year? We don't know.

He doesn't exactly have 'rizz', as the youths say... Schumann is known for his laid-back demeanor and monotone voice—so much so that Georgia tight ends coach Todd Hartley joked about him "lowering the energy" when speaking to media. Co-defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson calls him "Rain Man" for his intelligence and attention to detail.

I'm split here... I don't think that you have to have a big boisterous personality to be a good leader, but when we look at the new archetype in the post-NIL era - your youthful, exuberant coaches like Dan Lanning, Fran Brown, Marcus Freeman, etc - Schumann just doesn't seem to fit that model. That's not a bad thing... but it's not nothing.

Finally, Schumann has never been a head coach at any level—not high school, not Division III, nowhere. He went straight from student assistant to graduate assistant to position coach to coordinator. For a program like Virginia Tech that needs immediate results, a first-time head coach with no experience outside the SEC doesn't really feel like the answer?

The realistic assessment

Glenn Schumann would be one of the highest-ceiling hires Virginia Tech could make, but also one of the riskiest. If he's the next Dan Lanning, Virginia Tech gets a coach who could lead them to ACC championships and College Football Playoff berths. If he's another Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech doesn't just waste another 3-4 years, but digs ourselves deeper into the pit of dispear.

Schumann is making around $2.1 million per year at Georgia, meaning Virginia Tech could realistically double his salary and still be in a manageable range with the new athletics investment.

I have no idea whether Schumann sees Virginia Tech as the right opportunity. Industry analysts predict he'll leave after the 2025 season, with potential destinations including Florida State, USC, and Auburn. Would Virginia Tech be compelling enough to pull him away from waiting for a blue-blood opening?

Would VT even be compelled to chase him?