Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry has announced six new support staff additions, appointing Jimmy Laughlin as assistant director of football operations, Tolbert Nance as director of player personnel, J.J. Wilcox as assistant director of player personnel, Jordyn Hall as director of recruiting operations, Hannah Ross as director of on-campus recruiting, and Donovan Mousel as assistant director of creative media. The group brings experience from the FBS and FCS ranks, including the SEC, Big 12, Big 10, Sun Belt, Conference USA and Ivy League as well as the NFL.
Laughlin (Birmingham, Ala.) arrives in Blacksburg after serving as the director of football operations at Tennessee Tech since 2021. A 2016 graduate of Tennessee Tech with a degree in marketing, Laughlin had a solid career with the Golden Eagles, playing in 33 games and collecting 124 total tackles with five sacks, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, an interception and nine pass breakups.
After completing his degree, Laughlin joined the staff at Gardner-Webb as a graduate assistant, earning his master’s degree in business administration in 2019. While there, he coached a first-team All-Big South Conference defensive back and the 2016 BSC Defensive Freshman of the Year. Laughlin helped with day-to-day operations, recruiting, gameday and administrative functions. He also helped organize activities for recruits and their families on on-campus visits.
Nance (Sandy Springs, Ga.) spent the last two seasons in the scouting department at West Virginia, first as the assistant director of scouting before being promoted to associate director of scouting.
Nance assisted in the evaluation of the WVU roster as well as opponent rosters to identify strengths and weaknesses for each game. He created weekly advance scouting reports and helped create gameplans. Nance also scouted the transfer portal to identify potential roster additions, helping to maintain scouting services and database.
Nance spent the 2021 and 2022 football seasons as a recruiting assistant at South Carolina. With the Gamecocks, he worked in advance scouting, all areas of recruiting and served as a special assistant to the defensive coordinator.
He also spent time as an intern for the Kansas City Chiefs, scouted for the Scout 33rd Team website, and worked as an intern for the Mid-American Conference.
Nance graduated from South Carolina in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in sport and entertainment management along with a minor in business administration. As an undergraduate at South Carolina, Nance spent time as a student intern defensive coach.
Wilcox (Cairo, Ga.) joins the Hokies after working as a scouting assistant and special teams quality control coach with the Green Bay Packers in 2024 helping prepare game-day strategy for the coaching staff and providing insights on player performance. He held a similar role with the Atlanta Falcons in 2023.
Wilcox was an eight-year NFL veteran (2013-20) as a safety with the Cowboys, Buccaneers, Steelers, Jets, Colts, and Falcons. The 80th pick overall pick by Dallas in the 2013 NFL Draft, Wilcox amassed 233 career tackles, six interceptions, and three fumble recoveries.
Wilcox's relationship with Pry began in 2010 when they were both at Georgia Southern. Wilcox earned a degree in business management with a minor in coaching from the school where he played wide receiver before transitioning to safety as a senior. He closed his college career as a First Team All-Southern Conference safety in 2012, recording 88 tackles and two interceptions.
Hall (Erie, Colo.) served two seasons at the University of Pennsylvania as director of football operations. She worked alongside the head coach in coordinating team travel, managing the operating budget, and running all the program's day-to-day logistics. Hall graduated from Penn with her bachelor's degree in international relations, a minor in history, and proficiency in Spanish and Russian. Throughout all four years as a student, Hall worked in Penn's football equipment room and became the head student equipment manager as a senior.
In addition to her experience with the Penn football program, Hall spent the summer of 2024 as a logistics intern for the Cleveland Browns, assisting the director of team logistics with training camp and preseason operations. Hall is also an alumna of the NFL Women's Forum from the 2023 class.
Ross (Austin, Texas) spent the 2024 season as the director of on-campus recruiting at James Madison where she was responsible for coordinating and managing all on-campus official and unofficial recruiting visits, including game day visits by prospective student-athletes.
She coordinated recruiting correspondence with prospective student-athletes, high school coaches, junior college coaches and other appropriate entities.
Ross also developed and maintained JMU's prospective student-athlete databases while collecting transcripts and assisting with admissions and onboarding processes for signed athletes.
Ross joined the Dukes after spending two seasons with the Louisiana Tech football program (2022-23). Starting while an undergraduate student, she was a student intern before being elevated to director of on-campus recruiting during the 2023 season.
Ross graduated from Louisiana Tech with a bachelor’s degree in marketing in November 2023.
Mousel (Frisco, Texas) a 2024 graduate of Nebraska, has been a creative media assistant with the Cornhuskers’ football program since 2022. In that role he assisted with the advancement of Nebraska’s football brand identity by creating both printed and digital media and developed social media strategies to engage recruits and the fan base.
Mousel also prepared graphics for use on social media platforms and the university website while photographing live action at football practices and games.