BLACKSBURG – Tyrone Nix spent last fall working as a defensive analyst for Texas A&M, and while comfortable learning from some great coaches on the A&M staff, he felt a yearning to get back on the field.
Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente approached him this summer about the possibility of joining his staff here in Blacksburg as the Hokies' free safeties and rovers coach – and he jumped at it.
"When Coach Fu presented this opportunity, I knew I wanted to get back on the field," Nix said at a news conference Monday. "I wanted to get back to recruiting. I wanted to be hands-on, and it was just the right opportunity at the right time. I couldn't say no to it."
Fuente and Nix have known each other for quite some time, as they coached against each other when Fuente served as the head coach at Memphis at the same time that Nix worked at Middle Tennessee State. At the conclusion of the series between those two schools, Fuente called Nix just wanting to talk a little football and to learn from a guy who has been coaching for more than 20 years.
It also worked in Nix's favor that he and current Tech tight ends coach James Shibest worked together at Ole Miss, and the two of them remained in touch over the years.
"This game is a business," Nix said. "You just never know where you're going to end up. I'm just fortunate and blessed to be on this staff."
THE REAL #DBU 🔥
— Virginia Tech Football (@VT_Football) August 13, 2018
✅ @CoachTyroneNix on his relationship with @CoachFosterVT
✅ @CoachMitchellVT on the speed of the secondary
✅ Divine Deablo on playing safety #Hokies 🦃 pic.twitter.com/6wPDIZ6ITY
These days, Nix finds himself in an interesting position as it relates to his players. Reggie Floyd returns to man the rover spot, and he ranks as one of the team's most experienced players. In fact, Floyd is the only non-defensive line returning starter.
On the flip side, Nix needs to find a replacement for Terrell Edmunds, who served as the heart and soul of this unit a year ago. Edmunds, like his younger brother, decided to forgo his final year of collegiate eligibility and make himself available for the NFL Draft. That turned out to be a wise decision, as the Pittsburgh Steelers chose him in the first round.
The Hokies have two players vying for the job – Khalil Ladler and Divine Deablo. Ladler started the final two games of last season and played well, tallying a combined seven tackles. Deablo played in four games before injuring his foot in the Old Dominion game, which caused him to miss the entire season.
Nix has liked what he has seen in both players so far.
"Khalil has had a great camp," Nix said. "He's a very intelligent kid. He's kid that is fundamentally sound and does a lot of great things for us.
"Deablo is a kid that has a huge ceiling that hasn't played as much due to injuries, but we're trying to keep him healthy and continue to let him learn. We're going to try and find a way to get our best players on the field. I don't think either one of them will be on the sideline very much."
Whoever wins the job will continue learning from one of the more experienced coaches in college football. Nix's stops include stints as a defensive coordinator at Southern Miss, South Carolina, Ole Miss and Middle Tennessee State. He hasn't coached defensive backs in a while, but that hasn't slowed him this August.
"I had the entire secondary at Southern Miss," Nix said. "You're always learning. It's always changing, but the bottom line is you play with fundamentals and technique. You put your eyes in the right place and you go out and execute. The thing that is unique here is that they've had great defensive back play year in and year out and we expect the same thing this year."
Here are some more notes from Monday's news conference:
• Lecitus Smith came to Virginia Tech as a tight end, but he stayed at that position for less than half of a year, as the staff moved him to the offensive line after he struggled to keep his weight at 280 pounds. Now, the young man finds himself working as a backup at left guard behind D'Andre Plantin and figures to get some time this season despite his inexperience at the position.
"He was fighting to stay at 280 pounds," Fuente said. "So finally, we told him to quit fighting it. Like a lot of us, 'Just let yourself go, buddy.' Almost overnight he got to his natural weight and started gaining weight. Obviously, he was going to move inside.
"That's a big difference between playing guard and playing tight end, but I've been impressed with his talent. He's a big strong, young kid and is really athletic. Hopefully, he continues to improve and work on his craft every day. He's really matured in the last year or so."
• Fuente said there was nothing new to report on the battle at the quarterback position.
"I would say no is the answer to that," Fuente said when asked if he had a better understanding of the quarterback pecking order. "But we will continue to filter those reps out and get an idea. We got a little bit of an idea in the scrimmage the other day. How will it exactly shake out? I'm not sure."