A whole flock of former Hokies got a lot of attention from fans this winter as their professional arcs converged with the VT news cycle. Torrian Gray, Corey Fuller, Brandon Flowers, Brenden Hill, Darryl Tapp, Shayne Graham, Loren Johnson, DeAngelo Hall, Cody Grimm, Jack Tyler, Justin Hamilton, and even Mike Vick are the ones I can think of. JC Price and Cornell Brown also sidestepped into view thanks to the Marshall game.

But wait, there’s more! While I was following the news with these guys, I got the idea to see if there were any other Beamer-era Hokies who were on the coaching upswing, with a specific eye for more recent Hokies.*  Below are a few who stood out. I don’t necessarily see any of them at Tech in the future, though a few look like they have good careers ahead of them or are in some good spots already.

Eddie Whitley
Secondary Coach/Pass Defense Coordinator
Bridgewater College (VA)

Whitley’s the guy I’m going to keep the closest tabs on. He has a good resume (if you look past the surface) and an active interest in the off-the-field aspects of the sport. He’s on the clinic circuit, he’s got some NFL experience, and the DBs have played well under him, with several All-ODAC players. Some might scoff at his coaching experience being limited to little ol’ Bridgewater, but that’s deceiving. He coached under Rob Everett, a 4-2-5 defensive whiz who basically ran the same scheme as Bud Foster, and who also is ahead of the curve when it comes to incorporating technology into coaching. Before that, Everett was defensive coordinator at Westfield High, a team that’s popped up in a few of my articles before. Based on that, I imagine Whitley’s tied into VA’s top high schools better than you’d expect from a DIII coach. If Tech’s still running the same defense a few years from now and needs a DB coach, keep an eye on Whitley.

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