Penn State hires College Football Hall of Famer Anthony Poindexter as co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach

A two-time consensus All-America at Virginia in 1997 and 1998, Poindexter has been a college coach for 18 years, and comes to Happy Valley after four seasons at Purdue

Penn State head coach James Franklin greets the Nittany Lions as they take the field against Illinois in December.Read moreBarry Reeger / AP

by Joe Juliano

Published Feb. 24, 2021, 7:00 p.m. ET

Anthony Poindexter, a two-time consensus All-America safety at Virginia who was inducted last year into the College Football Hall of Fame, has been named Penn State’s new co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach by head coach James Franklin, the program announced Wednesday.

Poindexter, who was a member of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens’ Super Bowl championship team, has spent the last 18 years as a college coach after retiring from the NFL in 2002. He has spent the last four seasons at Purdue, where he also was co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.

Poindexter succeeds Tim Banks, who left Penn State earlier this month to become the defensive coordinator at Tennessee. He is the third new coach on Franklin’s staff entering the 2021 season, joining offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and tight ends coach Ty Howle.

Franklin said Poindexter brings “an impressive football background both as a player and a coach” to the Nittany Lions.

“Anthony’s safeties have always played hard with a nose for the ball,” he said in a statement. “Anthony has an infectious personality and leads with humility. Our safeties will really enjoy learning from him.”

Poindexter said he was “honored and humbled” to join the Lions.

“I look forward to being under the leadership and guidance of coach Franklin,” he said. “I’m inspired by his relentless desire to win and I look forward to contributing in any way I can.”

Before his time at Purdue, Poindexter spent three seasons as the defensive coordinator at Connecticut from 2014 through 2016. His first 11 years as a college coach were at Virginia where he coached running backs, defensive backs and safeties, and was a special teams coordinator.

Poindexter excelled as a player with the Cavaliers from 1994 through 1998, earning recognition as one of the hardest hitters in college football. He was named a consensus All-America in his final two seasons and earned ACC defensive player of the year honors in 1998 despite suffering a season-ending knee injury in the seventh game.

He was selected by Baltimore in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL draft and spent two seasons with the Ravens before ending his career with Cleveland.