Tyrell Smith is back in Blacksburg, and this time he’s not the one trying to learn the playbook.
A little more than a decade after Frank Beamer recruited him to Virginia Tech, Smith has returned to the place where he once camped for an offer, signed with the Hokies, lived in the dorms, and spent years grinding through the daily routine of college football life. Since coming back in February, he has taken over as Virginia Tech’s Director of Player Development under James Franklin, bringing with him the kind of perspective you only get by actually living the experience he’s now helping younger players navigate.
“It’s been awesome being back,” Smith told 247Sports. “I got here in February.
Obviously, working at a few other schools previously has been great, I gave it my all while I was at those places, but being back in Blacksburg is a little different for me, just the day to day, because I was in their shoes. I went to class in the same buildings, practiced in the same indoor facility, so, doing it at your alma mater, I think there is a little bit more pride about how I go about things.”
That familiarity runs deep. Smith was a three-time team captain and appeared in 67 college football games, with injuries helping give him a few extra years of eligibility.
He knows the full rhythm of Virginia Tech football, from the winter walks across the drillfield to class to the hits he took in the indoor facility, on the practice fields, and in Lane Stadium. He also knows what it means to run out of the tunnel to Enter Sandman in front of a packed crowd, passing the wall of former players on the way out.
Smith says the lessons from Blacksburg still shape how he works now, but his path has also been influenced by stops away from home. Before returning to Virginia Tech, he spent time at Boise State on the Strength and Conditioning Staff and had two stops at Rutgers under Greg Schiano. That stretch gave him another coaching lane to pull from, and he still carries parts of it with him.
“At Rutgers, Coach Schiano, their motto is Chop, so the ability to focus on one thing when there are a million other things going on,” Smith said. “Now, I am learning from Coach Franklin and his four core values, but there are still some things I carry on [from Rutgers] in my head; I might think of something that reminds me to stay focused on the task at hand and not let the future or the past take me off of that.”
The move back to Virginia Tech came after James Franklin called, and Smith didn’t need much convincing. He said the opportunity was impossible to pass up, even after he had settled into the Rutgers job and the chance to be back near home.
Six months into working with Franklin, Smith says he can already see why the coach has won where he has.
“I think being under Coach Franklin these last few months has been awesome. I can clearly see why he has had success at Vandy and at Penn State by just being under him and his staff,” he explained. “We are so detail oriented, from the time we walk into the building until we are leaving the building, every single minute is laid out for us and it’s been great.”
Even with his current job keeping him inside the football building most days, Smith still finds himself gravitating toward the offensive linemen once practice starts. That part of the game never really left him.
“Luckily, Coach Franklin has allowed me to be around the offensive line at practice. Maybe I am a little biased towards those guys, but you will see me at practice following them. Whenever I see a guy win a rep or maybe the rep is a tie with the D-Line, I might offer my two cents, just trying to help them be the best they can be because their success can be our team's success.”
For Smith, the return feels natural. He’s no longer the player wondering about blocking assignments or special teams installs. Now he’s part of the support system, helping new Hokies figure out college life and football in the same place where he once did the same.
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