MORGANTOWN -- Multiple reports and sources Tuesday night indicated that Dana Holgorsen has filled the second of three openings on West Virginia's defensive staff.
MORGANTOWN -- Multiple reports and sources Tuesday night indicated that Dana Holgorsen has filled the second of three openings on West Virginia's defensive staff.
Mike Smith, who was a highly-regarded intern coach with the New York Jets last season, will coach WVU's linebackers and could perhaps serve or share the defensive coordinator responsibilities. Several New York area media outlets reported the move and sources close to WVU said the hiring was imminent.
Smith had been offered a full-time coaching job with the Jets under coach Rex Ryan, but has apparently turned it down in favor of the offer from WVU. West Virginia officials would not confirm the hiring Tuesday night.
Smith, 30, has ties to Holgorsen as a former player at Texas Tech. Holgorsen coached there under Mike Leach from 2000 to 2007. A month ago Smith was believed headed for an assistant coaching position at Washington State, where Leach was recently hired as the school's head coach, but that didn't materialize. Reportedly he turned down that offer because of the full-time coaching offer from the Jets.
If Smith does, indeed, take the job at WVU after turning down a similar post as the linebackers coach at Washington State, it could be because he was offered more by Holgorsen, perhaps some share of the coordinator duties.
Smith was a linebacker at Texas Tech, started 45 games there and was drafted in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL draft. An injury cut short his career.
Prior to te Jets, Smith's only other coaching experience is believed to be a year spent at Hawaii.
WVU came into the market for three defensive coaches when coordinator and linebackers coach Jeff Casteel, line coach Bill Kirelawich and cornerbacks coach David Lockwood all left for similar positions at Arizona under former Mountaineer coach Rich Rodriguez.
Holgorsen's only officially-announced hire so far has been Joe DeForest, who was the safeties coach and special teams coordinator at Oklahoma State. His duties at WVU have yet to be defined, no doubt because Holgorsen will wait until he makes all the hires to assign positions.
Veteran safeties coach Steve Dunlap also remains on West Virginia's defensive staff.
MORGANTOWN -- Multiple reports and sources Tuesday night indicated that Dana Holgorsen has filled the second of three openings on West Virginia's defensive staff.
Mike Smith, who was a highly-regarded intern coach with the New York Jets last season, will coach WVU's linebackers and could perhaps serve or share the defensive coordinator responsibilities. Several New York area media outlets reported the move and sources close to WVU said the hiring was imminent.
Smith had been offered a full-time coaching job with the Jets under coach Rex Ryan, but has apparently turned it down in favor of the offer from WVU. West Virginia officials would not confirm the hiring Tuesday night.
Smith, 30, has ties to Holgorsen as a former player at Texas Tech. Holgorsen coached there under Mike Leach from 2000 to 2007. A month ago Smith was believed headed for an assistant coaching position at Washington State, where Leach was recently hired as the school's head coach, but that didn't materialize. Reportedly he turned down that offer because of the full-time coaching offer from the Jets.
If Smith does, indeed, take the job at WVU after turning down a similar post as the linebackers coach at Washington State, it could be because he was offered more by Holgorsen, perhaps some share of the coordinator duties.
Smith was a linebacker at Texas Tech, started 45 games there and was drafted in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL draft. An injury cut short his career.
Prior to te Jets, Smith's only other coaching experience is believed to be a year spent at Hawaii.
WVU came into the market for three defensive coaches when coordinator and linebackers coach Jeff Casteel, line coach Bill Kirelawich and cornerbacks coach David Lockwood all left for similar positions at Arizona under former Mountaineer coach Rich Rodriguez.
Holgorsen's only officially-announced hire so far has been Joe DeForest, who was the safeties coach and special teams coordinator at Oklahoma State. His duties at WVU have yet to be defined, no doubt because Holgorsen will wait until he makes all the hires to assign positions.
Veteran safeties coach Steve Dunlap also remains on West Virginia's defensive staff.
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