This time, the timing was right for Anthony Poindexter.
A friend to Penn State head coach James Franklin dating back to the early-Aughts, when Franklin was at Maryland and Poindexter was an assistant at Virginia, the pair has developed its relationship. From one stop to the next, Franklin to the Green Bay Packers, to Kansas State, back to Maryland and onto Vanderbilt and Penn State for his first head coaching opportunities, with Poindexter rising through the ranks at Virginia, then on to Connecticut and Purdue, other opportunities to work together came up.
Good friends who’d long entertained the idea, though, Poindexter finally jumped at the chance to join Franklin at Penn State this winter following the exit of Tim Banks to Tennessee as its defensive coordinator.
“We've just been friends. We met a long time ago and we did talk a few times about jobs openings he had, but it just wasn't the right timing,” Poindexter said Monday. “But this year was the right time and I felt good about my family and myself and the situation that I was coming to, so it just became the right time for me to join the staff.”
Now on campus as the Nittany Lions’ new safeties coach, Poindexter has had two weeks to settle into his new role and offered up an assessment of some of his new responsibilities, the new personnel he’s working to develop in the room, and more.
Following a 30 minute interview with the media Monday afternoon, here is a look at some of those big takeaways from the session:
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1) Staying in the Big Ten will be helpful.
Though Poindexter’s coaching career spans nearly 20 years, first becoming a graduate assistant with the Cavaliers in 2003, the move from Purdue to Penn State this offseason represents his first opportunity migrating within the same conference.
Given his previous experiences, first moving from Virginia in the ACC to UConn in the AAC, then from UConn to Purdue in the Big Ten, Poindexter acknowledged he expects that fact to be of use.
“I think being in this conference for four years, and knowing the style of ball, and knowing the style of offenses that you're going to face from week to week, it helps,” he said. “When I went to UConn from Virginia, it's two totally different conferences. So I had to get adjusted to what we were going to see on Saturdays and what I was calling the defense against. Going from the American to the Big Ten was like night and day.
“But now that I've been into the Big Ten, I'm just going to the other side of the Big Ten and we had crossovers with most of the teams, so I kind of am familiar with what their system are, what their schemes are, what kind of personnel they're playing with, so it is a big help that I've been in this conference now going on five years.”
2) Poindexter’s recruiting responsibilities will varied, but largely in his wheelhouse.
Born and raised in Lynchburg, Va., then attending Jefferson Forest High School nearby, Poindexter’s familiarity with Virginia, and later the Washington D.C.-Baltimore metro area, has only grown in the time since. As a result, Poindexter will key in on Washington D.C., Northern Virginia, and Maryland, while dabbling in some midwestern states as well.
“They're going to let me focus in on the DMV, maybe Michigan, and a little bit of Indiana,” he said. “So I'm excited about it.
“For me, it's just about making relationships and being able to go talk to the coaches and talk to the kids in that area and just try to create a relationship. Penn State sells itself, so that's the easy part. This is one of the best schools in the country, so that's gonna be easy.”
3) Beyond the scope of recruiting, Poindexter will also add a special teams credit to his name with the Nittany Lions, though he didn’t specify which.
Lauding Franklin’s insistence of involving the entire coaching staff in special teams, Poindexter said he’ll be involved “with all the special teams aspects” in whatever special teams coordinator Joe Lorig decides for him.
“I’m excited about that role,” he said.
Link: Safeties coach Anthony Poindexter talks recruiting, player evaluation
4) Poindexter is leaning on his leaders early in the process.
Given his relative unfamiliarity with Penn State’s personnel in the safeties' room, Poindexter balked at offering any type of football analysis on a player-by-player basis.
“I've been here a week, so I don't want to start going into detail like I know what this guy can do,” he said. “I haven't watched them play football at all. We've been doing winter workout kind of stuff. But these kids love to work, they're willing to get coached, and they love their teammates. They want to be on the Penn State football team. So when I add all that stuff up, it's gonna be hard not to have a good group.”
Still, he did offer some perspective on two seniors in the group, Jaquan Brisker, who returned for an extra year by taking advantage of the NCAA’s bonus year of eligibility, and Jonathan Sutherland, who is in his fifth year with the program.
Crediting the program-wide environment for Brisker’s return, Poindexter was optimistic that another season can be positive for the former junior college transfer.
“He's a beautiful kid. I think he has a lot to gain,” Poindexter said. “He probably wasn't in the round that he wanted to be in, but at the same time, I think he coming back for all the right reasons. He loves his teammates. He wants to be a college player again.
“Being around this kid, he's been awesome. He has no ego, he's humble, he wants to learn. He's always asking me questions. So I'm excited to coach him, I am. I'm just looking forward to working with him once we get on the grass.”
Meanwhile, Poindexter’s early impressions of Sutherland have been similarly glowing.
“What a great kid he is. For as good of a player he is, he's an even better person,” Poindexter said. “He's very smart and very intelligent. He's one of those guys I'm leaning on to help me with the playbook and help me with what they've been told. He's getting me up to speed on how we run defense here. He's an awesome young man, I'm excited to work with him and, what a pleasure to be around him every day.”
5) Poindexter’s approach aligns with Franklin’s push for turnover production.
Bottom line, Penn State fell short of the high expectations Franklin had for turnover generation out of the secondary last season. With the Nittany Lions finishing with just four interceptions in nine games, the lowest average interceptions per game in the Big Ten last season, and the likes of Brisker, Lamont Wade, and Keaton Ellis responsible for only three of them, turnover generation was a sore spot defensively.
Poindexter’s philosophy will be of heightened emphasis for what can be one of the biggest responsibilities and impacts a defense can provide.
“I tell the guys in the room if you have an opportunity to turn the ball over, we can win the game. These are game-changing, life-changing, program=changing plays,” he said. “And you all have seen it. You have a great opportunity to make a pick, the guy dropped it. The next play, next two or three plays, the offense does something great, or they burn enough clock where you don't get the ball back. I'm (going to) emphasize trying to get the ball when the opportunity comes to you. You got to make the play. And that's why I want them to play tree.
“I’m not saying you gambling, but you can practice a certain way that in the game, I know I can make this play and when the play presents itself to make, I'm gonna make it. Obviously, in the back end, you have to turn the ball over. Get interceptions, fumble recoveries, cause fumbles. All kinds of stuff. It's a big part of it and it does help the team win.”
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