If advancing the defensive scheme back to levels seen a few years ago is Coach Foster’s biggest idea for bringing back “DBU”, then he needs to make sure his secondary’s ability to perform fundamentals and nuances alike is second nature.  His comments on keeping guys at the same position hint at just how important teaching is in coaching.  Getting the defensive backs to a blade-sharp edge of precision is going to fall on two new coaches—Galen Scott with the safeties and Brian Mitchell with the corners.

Both former coordinators with sizable resumes of schools and schemes to their credit, these guys are being asked to bring a once-feared secondary back to a level of play that confounded quarterbacks and coordinators alike.  I think Mitchell and Scott are even more important than might first seem because it seems to me that former secondary coach Torrian Gray and his graduate assistants might’ve been stretched a little thin the past couple of years.  There’s a knowledge deficit in the secondary that needs filling, and filling it is now up to two guys who have little experience with the Hokies’ scheme.

To their benefit, both coaches bring a wide array of knowledge and experience to their jobs.  As coordinators, they know better than most position coaches how every detail of their work fits into the total success of a defensive unit.

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