Former Wahoo Poindexter leaves Purdue for position at Penn State

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Legendary Virginia football star Anthony Poindexter has left his position as co-defensive coordinator at Purdue to accept a defensive coaching position at Penn State.

Poindexter, who became a College Football Hall of Famer after playing for George Welsh, had spent the past four seasons with Jeff Brohm at Purdue where he also coached the safeties.

Poindexter, 44, will replace Tim Banks, who left Penn State to become defensive coordinator at Tennessee. The former Virginia two-time, All-American safety, was scheduled to receive $391,000 this season at Purdue, nearly $70,000 less than a year ago due to budget cuts in the Boilermakers athletic department due to the pandemic cutbacks around college athletics.

His new salary at Penn State has not been announced.

Poindexter began his coaching career under Al Groh at Virginia and remained on the staff through the transition to Mike London, spending 11 seasons with his alma mater as an assistant coach. However, Poindexter left UVA to accept the defensive coordinator position at UConn during the London era, but eventually moved to Purdue.

Poindexter, who starred at Jefferson Forest High School, was a four-year standout under Welsh at Virginia, where he was ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 1998. He owns or shares school records for tackles (14), interceptions (3) and fumble recovers (2) in a game, having made 342 career tackles ad recovered a school-record seven fumbles.

UVA retired Poindexter’s No. 3 jersey in 2009. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this past December.

Poindexter has been described as an outstanding recruiter, something that Penn State coach James Franklin must have noticed.