Bud Foster Will Still Coach Virginia Tech's Linebackers

When Virginia Tech announced the hiring of former Memphis defensive coordinator Galen Scott on January 4, the school said head coach Justin Fuente tabbed Scott as Tech's linebackers coach. In an interview today with Mike Barber, Fuente shed some more light on Foster and Scott's coaching responsibilities.

"Bud's going to be our associate head coach," Fuente said. "For me it was an obvious thing. In a very short time it's very apparent, his pulse on Virginia Tech, his quality as a person, he's a natural fit."

Fuente clarified that Foster, the defensive coordinator, will continue to coach the linebackers, while Scott, who was the defensive coordinator at Memphis, will split coaching the defensive line with current D-line coach Charley Wiles.

Fuente said, as the associate head coach, Foster is the next in line to run the team if Fuente is not available or able to do so. As the assistant head coach, Scott will help more with day-to-day operational issues.

"Bud Foster and Galen Scott will both be taking on additional leadership roles on our staff," Fuente added in a release. "I've appreciated Galen's counsel and perspective for many years. It hasn't taken me long to gain an even deeper respect for Bud and the pulse he has on Virginia Tech and our program. I trust both of them implicitly, and I will lean on them to help ensure we're always heading in the right direction."

This is an interesting dynamic, and I'm curious to see how Foster and Scott's positional coaching responsibilities work during an open practice or scrimmage this spring or summer (if the opportunity is available) before I comment more. For what it's worth, at the time this was published, Scott is still listed as Tech's linebackers coach on HokieSports.com.

In somewhat related news, Virginia Tech shared a 3:34 video interview between Jon Laaser and Scott.