New Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin continues to assemble his first coaching staff in Blacksburg. On Sunday, the next name was revealed: Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported that the Hokies were targeting Texas A&M defensive line coach Sean Spencer for the same position in Blacksburg.
Spencer is considered one of college football’s best position coaches and is also an elite recruiter. Spencer played collegiately at Clarion in the 1980s. Known as “Coach Chaos,” Spencer began his coaching career in 1995. Here are some of his stops over the years:
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Wesleyan (1995): Wide receivers coach & tight ends coach
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Shippensburg (1996-97): Running backs coach
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Trinity (1998-99): Running backs coach
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Trinity (2000): Defensive line coach
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UMass (2001-03: Defensive line coach
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Holy Cross (2004): Defensive line coach
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Villanova (2005): Linebackers coach
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Holy Cross (2006): Defensive line coach
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UMass (2007-08): Defensive line coach
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Bowling Green (2009-10): Defensive line coach
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Vanderbilt (2011-13): Defensive line coach
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Penn State (2014-17): Defensive line coach
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Penn State (2018-19): Associate head coach & defensive line coach
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New York Giants (2020-21): Defensive line coach
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Florida (2022-23): Co-defensive coordinator & defensive line coach
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Texas A&M (2024-25): Defensive line coach
As you can see, Spencer is well-traveled. You can also see the overlap with Franklin and Brent Pry. He worked at Vanderbilt and Penn State from 2011-2019 with Pry and Franklin. Both coaches are close with Spencer, with Andy Bitter finding this gem of a photo of Pry and Spencer.
Spencer had molded several players into future NFL draft picks. He’s also recruited some of the best, working with Pry to land Micah Parsons while they were at Penn State. Adam Rittenberg of ESPN says the Hokies are expected to hire Spencer, and with the Aggies already lining up his replacement, this one looks to be close to complete.
This is a significant hire for Franklin, made possible by Virginia Tech’s increased budget. VT’s staff is impressive, and we have yet to hear the names of the cornerbacks and safety coaches officially.
