When Bronco Mendenhall resigned as Virginia football coach last December, the Cavaliers turned to Tony Elliott to lead the program. Elliott worked for 11 years at Clemson and had turned down previous head coaching opportunities prior to accepting the position at UVA.
As a first-time head coach, Elliott took a measured approach in selecting his first staff but eventually assembled a group that included three former Hoos. Marques Hagans, Clint Sintim, and Chris Slade aren’t the only former Virginia players in the Division I coaching ranks, though. There are 20 Wahoos working at the FBS and FCS level this season.
Let’s take a look.
Virginia In Division I Coaching
Darryl Blackstock, Outside Linebackers, William & Mary. Blackstock enters his fourth season at William & Mary. He starred at Virginia where he led the ACC in sacks and was the national leader at the linebacker position in 2004. He was a three-time All-ACC pick and finished his career ranked second in school history with 27 sacks before Clint Sintim passed him on the charts.
Keenan Carter, Defensive Line, William & Mary. Carter enters his fourth season at William & Mary. Carter previously coached at Howard and Bridgewater. He played on the defensive line at UVA where he was a two-year starter at nose guard. He played in the NFL and coached in high school prior to making the jump to the college ranks.
Sean Cascarano, Offensive Line, Cornell. Cascarano started his coaching path as a graduate assistant at Virginia following his career with the Hoos. He started 12 games as a junior but an injury cut his career short. He’s also worked at Chowan before joining the Cornell staff in 2019.
Almondo Curry, Cornerbacks, Towson. Curry enters his second season with Towson in 2022. Prior to this position, he coached at Christopher Newport, Virginia State, and Maryville College. He also worked at William & Mary as a defensive analyst for one season. Curry led the ACC in interceptions as a senior and earned All-ACC honors. He played for three years in the Canadian Football League.
Ras-I Dowling, Defensive Backs, William & Mary. Dowling enters his fourth season with W&M after working at Howard previously. He earned All-American honors in 2010 and was a three-time All-ACC pick while at Virginia. The Patriots took him with the 33rd pick in the NFL Draft, making him the highest drafted defensive back in UVA history.
Tyree Foreman, Running Backs, Towson. Foreman began coaching the Tiger running backs in 2019. He coached previously at Tennessee Tech, Temple, and Army. While at Virginia, he played fullback and tailback and scored 16 touchdowns. He signed as part of the Chicago Bears practice squad and played in NFL Europe in 2003.
Marques Hagans, Receivers, Virginia. After starring at UVA, Hagans returned first as a graduate assistant in 2011 and has remained on staff since. He’s helped guide some of the program’s all-time best receivers during his tenure and added associate head coach duties to his plate this year.
Vic Hall, Cornerbacks, Ball State. Hall began his career at Howard and then Hampton before moving into this role with Ball State. He’s also the co-recruiting coordinator. Hall was a high school legend at Gretna and then played cornerback, quarterback, and receiver at UVA. He also went on to be the AFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2011.
Matt Johns, Quarterbacks, William & Mary. Johns enters his fourth season with W&M and his third as the QB coach. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Virginia following his playing days with the Hoos. He threw for 4,233 yards and 30 touchdowns in his career.
Wayne Lineburg, Tight Ends, Wake Forest. Lineburg enters his sixth season with the Demon Deacons. He is also the special teams coordinator for Wake. Prior to this post, he worked at Connecticut, Richmond, UVA, and William & Mary. He played quarterback at Virginia for four years.
Ron Mattes, Offensive Line, North Carolina A&T. Mattes played on the 1984 Virginia team that won the Peach Bowl. He earned All-ACC honors and played for eight years in the NFL. Previous coaching stops have included UVA, Elon, VMI, and JMU. His teams at A&T have ranked in the FCS top 25 for fewest sacks allowed.
Fontel Mines, Receivers, Virginia Tech. Beginning his first year with the Hokies, Mines coached at Richmond, JMU, East Carolina, and ODU previously. He began his Division I coaching path working with the Spiders for five seasons. He had 737 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns in his Cavalier career.
Anthony Poindexter, Safeties, Penn State. Currently entering year two at PSU, he coached at Virginia, Connecticut, and Purdue as well. He is also co-defensive coordinator. Poindexter has been named to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame after an outstanding career at UVA where he was a two-time All-American and the 1998 ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He finished his career with 342 tackles (tops for a defensive back at the time) and 12 interceptions (still 5th in program history).
Gordon Sammis, Offensive Line, Connecticut. Entering his first season with UConn, Sammis worked previously at William & Mary. He worked at Columbia, VMI, and Lafayette prior to that job. He played on the offensive line from 2003-2007 at Virginia.
Jamie Sharper, Defensive Line, Georgetown. Sharper first joined the staff at Georgetown, where he got a master’s degree, in 2018. He helps coach the pass rush part of the defense as part of his duties. When he finished his UVA career, Sharper held the school’s all-time tackles record with 435 stops, a record that stood from 1996-2017 when Quin Blanding took over the top spot with 495 tackles.
Clint Sintim, Linebackers, Virginia. Sintim returned to Virginia ahead of the 2020 season and remained on staff when Tony Elliott took the helm late in 2021. After coaching the defensive line for two seasons, he’s flipped to linebackers with the new staff. He coached at Richmond and Delaware previously.
Chris Slade, Defensive Ends, Virginia. Slade entered the college coaching ranks for the first time during this past offseason. Prior to that move, he served as head coach at Pace Academy in Atlanta where he helped guide 26 future college players. Slade remains UVA’s and the ACC’s all-time sacks leader.
Tim Smith, Receivers, Valparaiso. Entering his first season at Valpo, Smith worked as the offensive coordinator and receivers coach at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania for four years. Smith played as a starting receiver at UVA from 2009-2013 (he missed most of 2010 with a foot injury) and was No. 2 on the team in receiving yards as a senior. He then played professionally in the Canadian Football League.
Donte Wilkins, Defensive Line, Lafayette. After beginning as a graduate assistant at UVA, Wilkins took his first assistant coaching position with Lafayette for the 2022 season. He played in 45 games for Virginia and started all 12 games as as senior in 2016 when he served as a captain for Bronco Mendenhall’s first season with the Wahoos.
Josh Zidenberg, Defensive Backs, Ball State. Joined Ball State in 2020 when the program captured its first MAC Championship since 1996 and its first-ever bowl victory in the Arizona Bowl. Previous coaching stops included VMI, Lafayette, Western Illinois, and William & Mary. He was a running back and special teams standout for the Hoos.
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