Virginia Tech Football, Brent Pry Announce Support Staff Hires

On Tuesday, Virginia Tech and Brent Pry announced a number of support staff hires for the football program.

Jeron Gouveia-Winslow and Lino Lupinetti will remain in their roles as Assistant Directors of Player Personnel. Former Assistant Director of Player Personnel Kyshoen Jarrett has become a defensive graduate assistant on the coaching staff.

Gouveia-Winslow was a linebacker for the Hokies from 2008-12 and joined the staff in 2020. Lupinetti came to Tech from Pitt, where he was a student assistant in the football recruiting office. Jarrett played for Tech from 2011-14 and worked with the Washington Football Team before returning to Blacksburg in 2021.

As for the new additions, there are three, all of which join Tech’s recruiting staff: Camie Cole Nations, Jalyn Ballein and Glenwood Ferebee.

Cole Nations is the Hokies’ new Director of Recruiting. She comes from Marshall, where she served as the program’s Director of Player Personnel for a season. There, she worked alongside Mike Villagrana, Tech’s Senior Director of Player Personnel.

A graduate of LSU, she was a student assistant during her time in Baton Rouge. Cole Nations spent two seasons earning her Masters of Science in Sport Administration while working for the athletic department behind the scenes. The Tupelo, Miss. native spent a year at Austin Peay, where she was the program’s Director of On-Campus Recruiting and then Director of Football Operations.

Jalyn Ballein joins Virginia Tech as the program’s Director of On-Campus Recruiting. She ventures to Blacksburg from Wake Forest, where she held the same title for a season, along with Assistant to the Head Coach. Ballein is the daughter of Tech Associate Athletic Director John Ballein and men’s basketball Chief of Staff Stephanie Ballein.

A Blacksburg native and Blacksburg High School alum, she graduated from Georgia Southern. While in Statesboro, she served as the program’s Director of On-Campus Recruiting.

Glenwood Ferebee has been around the high school football game since the late 2000s. He’ll serve as Virginia Tech’s Director of High School Relations, and he’s well-suited for the role.

Ferebee was the head coach at Lakeland High School in Suffolk, Indian River in Chesapeake, and Julius Chambers in Charlotte, N.C. He only has one year of experience at the college level – he was Hampton’s quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator in 2013 – but he’s a veteran in the high school ranks.

He won two state championships at Julius Chambers in 2019 and 2020, and he was named the conference and region coach of the year in 2019. At Indian River, he was the conference coach of the year three times (2014, 2015, 2018) and the region coach of the year twice (2015, 2018). He coached Hokies defensive back Devon Hunter, who was a high school All-American.

A Liberty alum from Virginia Beach, Ferebee’s title was last held by Jim Cavanaugh on Frank Beamer’s staff back in 2012.

For some extra analysis (subscribers only) from Chris Coleman on the various assignments in these three roles, along with the duties of Mike Villagrana and Michael Hazel, click here for Jan. 28’s Friday Q&A. 

Support Staff

Here’s a breakdown of Virginia Tech’s current support staff.

A number of hires were previously announced: Dwight Galt IV, Mike Villagrana, Michael Hazel, Brian Crist, Xavier Adibi, plus the six additions between the strength & conditioning staff and performance staff.

It’s a group with plenty of experience, especially at the top. What doesn’t show is the playing careers of Gouveia-Winslow and Adibi, along with the high school track record of Ferebee, among other things.

It’s a veteran support staff, and it’s clear that Brent Pry has made use of that $2.25M budget he was allotted. 

For all stories relating to assistant coach hires or additions to Pry’s support staff, click here.