Penn State safeties coach Anthony Poindexter is staying with the Nittany Lions and will not take the Virginia head coaching position, according to a report by ESPN.
“Timing is everything for both sides. There will be a day, but I’m going to stay at Penn State,” Poindexter, who also holds the title of co-defensive coordinator, reportedly texted ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.
Poindexter, who played for the Cavaliers and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday night, had been among the favorites rumored to take over the UVA head coaching position following the announcement last week that head coach Bronco Mendenhall was stepping down. Despite a growing consensus that Poindexter may have become the favorite for the job, it’s unclear at this time if he was ever officially offered the position.
Penn State has already lost defensive coordinator Brent Pry, who became Virginia Tech’s head coach, and would have lost a second key defensive assistants in one offseason had Poindexter taken the UVA job.
A tumultuous offseason in college football for many different program has left the door open for changes all across the country. In turn, it’s unclear if Penn State’s only departure this offseason is Pry or if others will follow in his footsteps given the right opportunity.
“There’s always people that have opportunities and options,” Penn State coach James Franklin said Sunday night. “When you lose people from your staff for head coaching opportunities, obviously the people that they know are part of your current staff. So that becomes an even stronger challenge, because they have intimate, personal and professional relationships with people on the staff.”
Penn State is still on the hunt to replace Pry but it remains to be seen if Poindexter will be tabbed for the defensive coordinator role.
