Virginia Tech football coach Brent Pry discusses the Hokies' 24-10 loss to Minnesota in the Duke's Mayo Bowl.
Virginia Tech's near seven-week search for a defensive coordinator reportedly concluded with a hire from the NFL ranks.
Arizona Cardinals inside linebackers coach Sam Siefkes is the target to become the Hokies' new defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach, according to multiple reports.
ESPN's Pete Thamel first reported the Hokies' interest in Siefkes.
Siefkes is expected to replace former defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach Chris Marve. Marve was fired on Dec. 12 after three seasons in the role.
Marve, who hadn't been a defensive coordinator prior to arriving in Blacksburg, was Hokies coach Brent Pry's hand-picked choice to lead the defense. Pry handled play-calling duties for most of the 2022 season before handing the reins over to Marve for that season's finale at Liberty.
The Hokies ranked 20th in total defense in 2023, but slipped to 57th in 2024. Tech held leads or was tied at the two-minute timeout in the fourth quarter in four games and lost each contest to Vanderbilt, Rutgers, Miami and Syracuse, and the inability to finish those games on defense led to the dismissals of Marve and strength and conditioning coordinator Dwight Galt IV.
Pry's initial search parameters focused on established Power Four defensive coordinators with play-calling experience.
Instead, the Hokies' lengthy search concluded with Siefkes being brought in to not only help the defense finish games, but also develop the linebacker corps.
Siefkes has an extensive background coaching linebackers over the last four seasons in the NFL. However, he will be calling plays for the first time since the 2019 season.
His play-calling experience came over four seasons at the college level with FCS program Wofford (2018-19) and Division III Wisconsin-Platteville (2016-17).
Siefkes did not coach Wofford during the spring 2021 season that was altered by the coronavirus pandemic. He took a job with the Minnesota Vikings before the Terriers embarked on their five-game spring season.
Wofford was strong defensively under Siefkes' watch. The Terriers ranked in the top 20 in total defense in both of Siefkes' seasons (12th in 2018 and 20th in 2019), and they advanced to the FCS playoffs in both campaigns.
His defenses at UW-Platteville ranked in the top third in the 244-team Division III (75th in 2016 and 77th in 2017), and both of those teams ranked in the top 50 in rushing defense (40th in 2016 and 48th in 2017).
UW-Platteville made the playoffs in 2016.
Siefkes' work in the NFL revolved around the linebackers. He spent the last two seasons as the Cardinals' inside linebackers coach. He was the Vikings' assistant linebackers coach in 2022 after serving as a defensive quality control coach in 2021.
Siefkes was a defensive graduate assistant at Wisconsin under coordinator Dave Aranda in 2015 and spent the 2014 season as a quality control coach at FIU.
He graduated from Wisconsin-La Crosse. He played one season (2011) before injuries ended his playing career and served as a student assistant for the next two seasons (2012-13) where he worked with defensive backs, linebackers and specialists.
Damien Sordelett (540) 981-3124
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