Penn State is expected to hire Purdue co-defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter as an assistant coach to replace Tim Banks, who left to become defensive coordinator at Tennessee. Pete Thamel from Yahoo Sports is reporting that this evening.
Sources: Purdue co-defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter is expected to leave for the open defensive assistant position at Penn State.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 22, 2021
Poindexter just finished his fourth season as Purdue’s co-defensive coordinator. He also coached safeties. Banks filled both of those roles at Penn State, as well, before departing. Poindexter previously served as UConn’s defensive coordinator from 2014-16.
Poindexter was a two-time consensus first-team All-American safety for Virginia in 1997-98 and was a seventh-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 1999.
He was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame last year, which said this about him:
Regarded as one of the fiercest hitters in the game during his career, Anthony Poindexter ranks among the best defensive backs in Virginia history. The Lynchburg, Virginia, native becomes the fifth Cavalier player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Oh, and for good measure, he’s also considered a very good recruiter. His playing career at Virginia and ties to the DMV area should be valuable to Penn State in that regard.
Poindexter played three seasons in the NFL with the Ravens and the Browns and was a member of Baltimore’s Super Bowl championship team in 2001.
This is Poindexter’s bio page from Purdue. He coached running backs at Virginia from 2003-13, was defensive coordinator and safeties coach at UConn from 2014-16 and has been at Purdue the past four seasons.
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