Former Super Bowl-winning coach Bruce Arians is lending his expertise to his alma mater, Virginia Tech, as they search for a new head coach. CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello confirms that Arians, a former Hokies quarterback himself, is serving as a consultant during the search. This news comes after Virginia Tech fired Brent Pry on September 14th following an 0-3 start to his fourth season.
Arians has a long and storied history with Virginia Tech. He played quarterback for the Hokies from 1971-74 and began his coaching career there as a graduate assistant from 1975-77. Currently, he serves as a senior football consultant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His NFL journey began as the running backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs (1989-92). He later held offensive coordinator positions before becoming the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals from 2013-17, where he remains the franchise's winningest coach (50 wins). In 2015, he led the Cardinals to the NFC Championship Game.
Arians briefly retired after the 2017 season but returned to coaching in 2019 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers improved significantly under his leadership, going 7-9 in his first year. The arrival of Tom Brady in 2020 proved transformative, as the duo led Tampa Bay to an 11-5 record and a Super Bowl 55 victory against the Kansas City Chiefs.
In 2021, Arians guided the Buccaneers to a 13-4 record and an NFC South title before announcing his retirement in March 2022 after a divisional round playoff exit. His involvement in the Virginia Tech coaching search highlights his commitment to his alma mater and adds a valuable perspective to the process.
Arians isn't alone in assisting his alma mater. Andrew Luck, former Indianapolis Colts quarterback, is currently Stanford's general manager and played a key role in the coaching change there, replacing Troy Taylor with Frank Reich.