Virginia Tech hires Cardinals' Siefkes as DC

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Virginia Tech has hired Sam Siefkes as defensive coordinator after he spent the last two seasons as the Arizona Cardinals' linebackers coach.

Siefkes had come to Arizona after two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. He replaces the fired Chris Marve at Virginia Tech.

“What stands out about Sam is his proven ability to adapt and excel at every level,” Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry said in a statement. “From building top-ranked defenses in college football to working with elite athletes in the NFL, he knows how to get the most out of his players. He’s a teacher at heart, and I’m confident his leadership will resonate with our student-athletes.”

Most of Siefkes’ college experience has come at the lower levels.

Siefkes was the defensive coordinator at Football Championship Subdivision program Wofford from 2018-20 after spending two seasons in the same role at Division III school Wisconsin-Platteville. He went from Wofford to the Vikings, where he worked as a defensive quality control coach in 2021 and an assistant linebackers coach in 2022.

He also was a quality control coach at Florida International in 2014 and a student assistant at Division III program Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2012-13.

“This program has a storied defensive tradition, and I’m excited to work with Coach Pry and our talented student-athletes to build on this legacy,” Siefkes said in a statement. “I look forward to building a defense embodying the lunch pail mentality of the past. The energy, passion, and commitment here are unmatched, and I’m ready to get to work.”

Virginia Tech fired Marve at the end of a 6-6 regular season, before the Hokies’ 24-10 loss to Minnesota in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Marve had been with the Hokies for three seasons.

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