Virginia Tech football: James Franklin makes big hire to offensive coaching staff
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Virginia Tech head football coach James Franklin continues to make impressive hires to his coaching staff. Late on Friday night, Franklin added another, bringing in former Wake Forest offensive coordinator Warren Ruggiero aboard as a senior offensive analyst.
This is a big move. Remember, the Hokies hired former Penn State tight ends coach Ty Howle as the new offensive coordinator. While the 34-year-old Howle held the title of co-offensive coordinator at Penn State for the last three years, he wasn’t the Nittany Lions’ primary play-caller.
Ruggiero is a former college quarterback at Delaware with a long coaching history.
- 1989-93: Defiance (offensive coordinator)
- 1994-96: Clarion (offensive coordinator)
- 1997-98: Glenville State (head coach, 15-8 record)
- 1999: William & Mary (tight ends coach)
- 2000-01: Hofstra (quarterbacks coach, recruiting coordinator)
- 2002-05: Hofstra (offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach)
- 2006-07: Elon (offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach)
- 2008: Kansas State (quarterbacks coach)
- 2009-13: Bowling Green (offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach)
- 2014-24: Wake Forest (offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach)
- 2025: Iowa (offensive analyst)
Ruggiero is a sharp offensive mind with a long history of coaching quarterbacks and calling plays. He can also serve as a mentor to Howle and quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien.
Ruggiero’s greatest success came at Wake Forest, where he mentored several quarterbacks, such as Jamie Newman and Sam Hartman. The Demon Deacons had plenty of success during Ruggiero’s tenure because they did an excellent job of developing players, particularly on offense.
Ruggiero is best known for creating the “slow mesh” RPO at Wake Forest.
The slow mesh is essentially the same as a standard RPO (run/pass option), except the quarterback holds onto the ball even longer, confusing defenses. Wake Forest had it down to an art form during Ruggiero’s time there. The goal of the slow mesh was to force defenses into confusion and lead them to make the wrong decision. It allowed Wake Forest to compete with more talented teams for years.
Is this a preview of what we could see for the Hokies in 2026 with Ruggiero’s concepts influencing Howle’s playcalling?
It will be interesting to see Ruggiero’s impact on Virginia Tech’s offensive playbook.
Overall, this is a tremendous hire by James Franklin, who is building a deep staff in all three phases and in recruiting.
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