Virginia Tech announced the hires of defensive coaches Derek Jones and Shawn Quinn on Sunday. Today, we’ll get a little more in-depth about both additions, what they mean, where they could recruit, and the flexibility they give Brent Pry in filling out the remainder of his defensive staff.

Coaching Flexibility

Derek Jones has coached both cornerbacks and safeties during his career, while Shawn Quinn has coached linebackers as well as the defensive line. That gives Brent Pry options as he continues to fill out his defensive coaching staff.

Let’s look at Jones first. It would make sense for Virginia Tech to retain the services of cornerbacks coach Ryan Smith, in which case Jones would coach the Hokies’ safeties. However, if Smith ends up heading elsewhere (more on that later), then Jones could be slotted either as the safeties coach or the corners coach, depending on who Pry could hire to replace Smith’s slot on the staff.

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