Tim Thomas | @TimThomasTLP
Virginia Tech’s off-the-field staff is coming together more and more as the Hokies are adding Marshall GM Mike Villagrana as the Senior Director of Player Personnel according to his Twitter. Football Scoop initially reported the move just over a week ago.
Virginia Tech is adding Marshall GM Mike Villagrana to their player personnel staff as first reported by Football Scoop and confirmed by his Twitter today. More on him and the #Hokies here: https://t.co/fHr98u1BWx pic.twitter.com/BJX8Dys2J6
The Villagrana move hasn’t been announced yet by Virginia Tech, but this is clear evidence that all previous reports are accurate. Villagrana was the GM for Marshall for 2020 under Charles Huff and has previously sent time as a recruiting director at Penn State and Mississippi State.
He also was an on-field coach early in his career which included a four-year tenure at Hampton from 2010-2013. Combine that with time at places like Penn State and Marshall, and Villagrana should have plenty of ties to coaches all around the footprint for VT in recruiting and especially in the Commonwealth of Virginia along the I-64 Richmond to 757 stretch.
Villagrana is an intriguing hire and though his title is Senior Director of Player Personnel, he seems likely to operate in a similar general manager capacity to help Brent Pry with roster management.
There’s no doubt that roster management has become an even more crucial part of modern recruiting especially with the rise and importance of the transfer portal transforming college football.
Having someone under Pry who can take a lead on that stuff like Villagrana who also has experience in that role previously and has loads of high level recruiting experience from time at places like Penn State and Mississippi State is a strong boost to how Pry appears to be transforming some of VT’s off-the-field operations.
Villagrana joins new strength & conditioning coach Dwight Galt from ODU as the second major off-the-field hire for Brent Pry as he continues to build out the important off-the-field part of his staff both in recruiting and strength & conditioning.
