The University of Virginia announced the hiring of four assistant football coaches today. These hires are exactly what the Wahoos needed in the opinion of this fanatical fan! Coach O'Brien was here during the glory days of HOF Coach George Welsh and his value to the staff is going to be felt at every level. The offensive line will benefit, the offensive coordinator will benefit, the tight ends will benefit, and, most importantly, the head coach will benefit.
On the defensive side of the ball, Coach Tenuta will bring an attacking style that he honed at Ohio State and Georgia Tech. He is football alumni, which is the icing on the cake for this hire. He believes in blitzing...relentlessly...hit the quarterback and punish him...make him feel it...that's aggressive defensive football and I want it implemented immediately!!
On special teams, Coach Banks has an outstanding background and his coaching acumen on special teams speaks for itself. His units at UTEP were consistently at the top of the Conference and rated in the top third nationally! Expect immediate improvements in this area.
The final hire is my favorite, Coach Hagans. As a loyal die-hard fan, this is by far one of my favorite HOOS of all time. This kid was a complete Uva success story; he worked hard on the field and in the classroom, was an outstanding citizen and a community contributor. He was a damn fine quarterback and made "Meangelo" Hall look like a punk in the 2003 VT game when he continually beat that fool play after play. I will never forget the 2005 Music City Bowl and the game that he had leading us to a win over Minnesota of the Big Ten. I remember that megawatt smile lighting up the jumbo tron as he was presented the MVP Trophy...it was an honor to watch him play that day! I'm thankful I was there to enjoy it with him and my beloved HOOS!
Hopefully we can get this thing turned around and have a couple of bowl seasons in a row, collect a few wins over that other school in Blacksburg, and then schedule a few big boys...maybe an Ohio State or a South Carolina...GO HOOS!!
