COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Anthony Poindexter, a College Football Hall of Fame inductee, enters year five with PSU as co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.
- During his 22-year coaching stint at the collegiate level, Poindexter has also made stops at Virginia, UConn and Purdue, and has spent spent 11 seasons as either a defensive coordinator or co-defensive coordinator.
- Since his arrival in Happy Valley in 2021, four defensive backs (2 safeties) have been drafted, tied for the most nationally during that span.
- His safeties group contributed to a Penn State secondary and defense that ranked fourth in the FBS in interceptions, seventh in total defense (294.8), eighth in scoring defense (16.5), 10th in takeaways (26) and 13th in passes defended (72) during the 2024 season.
- Jaylen Reed earned second-team All-Big Ten honors after finishing second among Big Ten defensive backs in tackles (98) and sixth in tackles for loss .
- Reed and Zakee Wheatley (All-Big Ten honorable mention) posted three interceptions each, tied for sixth in the leauge.
- Penn State finished the 2023 campaign second in the country in total defense and allowed just 172.1 passing yards per game, good for seventh in the nation.
- Reed and Kevin Winston Jr. each earned honorable mention All-Big Ten laurels in their first year as starers in 2023.
- Poindexter guided third-round pick Ji'Ayir Brown to All-Big Ten honors in 2022, who finished his career having a hand in 16 career takeaways as a Nittany Lion (10 interceptions, 3 fumble recoveries, 3 forced fumbles).
- He tutored a safeties group that contributed to a defense finishing first nationally with 85 pass breakups in 2022.
- Penn State’s defense allowed just 17.3 points per game in 2021, good for sixth in the country, and just 11 passing touchdowns, ranking fourth.
- Safety Jaquan Brisker, a second-round pick by the Chicago Bears, was named a 2021 second-team All-America honoree by the AFCA, Associated Press, FWAA and Sporting News.
- Brown teamed up with Brisker at safety and earned third-team all-conference honors after tying for the nation's lead with six interceptions.
- Poindexter spent the previous four seasons at Purdue, where he tutored walk-on Brennan Thieneman, who went on to earn All-Big Ten honors three times (2017, 2018 and 2020), and Cory Trice, who earned All-Conference laurels in 2020.
- In his first season with the Boilermakers, Poindexter helped lead the defensive unit to a 17.7-point improvement in scoring defense from 38.2 points allowed per game in 2016 to 20.5 in 2017.
- During the 2016 campaign at UConn, Poindexter coached Senior Bowl safety Obi Melifonwu to All-American Athletic Conference (AAC) honors, as he paced the Huskies with 118 tackles and four interceptions.
- UConn earned a bowl berth in 2015, as Poindexter guided a defense which led the AAC in total defense (33rd in FBS), red zone defense (7th), scoring defense (15th) and passing yards allowed (20th).
- Prior to joining UConn, Poindexter was a member of the Virginia coaching staff for 11 seasons, spending the final five seasons coaching safeties.
- During the 2012 season, Poindexter mentored safety newcomers Anthony Harris and Brandon Phelps, who started all 12 games and finished among the team’s top five tacklers. Harris was third for the Cavaliers with 87 tackles while Phelps accounted for 48 stops.
- In 2011, Poindexter’s unit helped hold opponents to a completion percentage of just 53.7 percent, the second-lowest mark in the ACC. Rodney McLeod led the team with four interceptions and earned honorable-mention All-ACC accolades in 2011.
- Under Poindexter in 2009, UVA’s defensive backs helped the defense rank fourth in the ACC and 21st nationally in pass defense. Highlighting the group of defensive backs was second-team All-ACC honoree Ras-I Dowling and Chris Cook, who were both second-round draft picks.
- As running backs coach at Virginia, Poindexter coached Cedric Peerman, a nine-year NFL vet, to 1,749 career rushing yards and 15 touchdowns.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS A PLAYER
- Regarded as one of the fiercest hitters in the game during his collegiate career (1994-98), Poindexter was a two-time consensus first-team All-American as a safety (1997, 1998).
- He also was chosen the 1998 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and is one of only three players in school history to earn first-team All-ACC recognition three times. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
- He finished his career with 342 career tackles, the ninth-most in school history and tops among ACC defensive backs. He is tied for fifth in school history with 12 interceptions.
- Poindexter’s senior season ended prematurely when he injured his left knee in the seventh game of the season and later underwent reconstructive surgery.
- He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft and spent two seasons with the Ravens, who he won a Super Bowl title with, before ending his pro career with the Cleveland Browns.
PROMINENT PLAYERS COACHED
- Keaton Ellis (Penn State) – Tennessee Titans
- Ji'Ayir Brown (Penn State) – San Francisco 49ers; 2023 third-round pick
- Jaquan Brisker (Penn State) – Chicago Bears; 2022 second-round pick
- Sanoussi Kane (Purdue) – Baltimore Ravens; 2024 seventh-round pick
- Obi Melifonwu (UConn) – NFL (2017-21); 2017 second-round pick
- Rodney McLeod (Virginia) – Cleveland Browns
- Chase Minnifield (Virginia) – NFL (2012-14)
- Ras-I Dowling (Virginia) – NFL (2011-15); 2011 second-round pick
- Chris Cook (Virginia) – NFL (2010-14); 2010 second-round pick
- Cedric Peerman (Virginia) – NFL (2009-17); 2009 sixth-round pick
- Jason Snelling (Virginia) – NFL (2007-13); 2007 seventh-round pick
- Wali Lundy (Virginia) – NFL (2006); 2006 sixth-round pick
- Alvin Pearman (Virginia) – NFL (2005-10); 2005 fourth-round pick
THE POINDEXTER FILE
Personal
Year at Penn State: Fifth
Hometown: Forest, Va.
Education: University of Virginia, 1999 - B.A. Anthropology
Family: Wife: Kimberly; Daughters: Morocca, Chloe; Son: Anthony
Coaching Career
2021-present – Penn State (Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties)
2017-20 – Purdue (Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties)
2014-16 – UConn (Defensive Coordinator/Safeties)
2013 – Virginia (Safeties)
2010-12 – Virginia (Safeties/Special Teams Coordinator)
2009 – Virginia (Defensive Backs/Assistant Special Teams)
2006-08 – Virginia (Running Backs/Assistant Special Teams)
2004-05 – Virginia (Running Backs)
2003 – Virginia (Graduate Assistant)
Playing Experience
- University of Virginia (1994-98)
- Baltimore Ravens (1999-01)
- Cleveland Browns (2001)
Bowl Games as a Coach
- 2024 CFP Semifinal - Penn State
- 2023 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl - Penn State
- 2023 Rose Bowl - Penn State
- 2022 Outback Bowl - Penn State
- 2018 Music City Bowl - Purdue
- 2017 Foster Farms Bowl - Purdue
- 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl – UConn
- 2011 Chick-fil-A Bowl – Virginia
- 2007 Gator Bowl – Virginia
- 2005 Music City Bowl – Virginia
- 2004 MPC Computers Bowl – Virginia
- 2003 Continental Tire Bowl - Virginia