COLUMN: If you could steal one assistant coach from anywhere to add to Gundy’s staff, who would it be?

The black hole of the sports world is upon us. We have little things like NFL training camps, the most meaningless part of the MLB season and the last of summer AAU hoops tournaments. But nothing in the sports world (unless you’re a die-hard baseball fan) is too entertaining right now. So without much to cover, here is a little something to chew on this week.

Our wonderful site manager emailed us a list of potential story ideas last week and this one stood out to me, specifically because I thought a lot about it this past winter. If you could steal any assistant coach in the nation to add to Gundy’s staff, who would you choose? It’s an obvious answer for me.

Gundy is an offensive guru, so OSU can get by with an average offensive coordinator. Where the Pokes need the most help is on defense, as shown by bringing in Jim Knowles this offseason. When Glenn Spencer was shown the door, it got me thinking about replacements. I think Knowles is a good add, but my pipe dream replacement for Spencer was Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster, who is without a doubt the guy that I would add to this staff.

Foster has been on the staff at Virginia Tech since legend Frank Beamer took the head coaching reigns in 1987. Foster has served as the defensive coordinator since 1993 in Blacksburg and is one of the top paid assistants in college football. Last season was Foster’s 30th (!!!!) year in Blacksburg. His “lunch pail” defense is consistently in the top 20 of the sport. The Hokies finished 13th in total defense last season, allowing just 319.3 yards per game. For comparison, Mason Rudolph threw for 389.2 yards per game last season by himself. OSU as a team averaged 568.9 yards per game. While Virginia Tech had several defensive draftees (including two of the Edmunds brothers going in the first round) this was not one of their top defenses of the last 10 years either.

The Hokies defense has ranked in the top 20 in the nation in 15 of Foster’s 23 seasons as defensive coordinator. They crank out NFL talent on defense at a pace that rivals Alabama and is consistently home of some of the nations best defensive backs. They pride themselves on their “lunch pail defense” (LPD) and this is all a culture that Foster has created. Virginia Tech literally advertises their lunch pail culture like its study space in the campus library.

Having that kind of success at OSU would be invaluable. Which is exactly why OSU, let alone any other school, wouldn’t be able to poach Foster. Virginia Tech will do anything it takes to keep Foster in Blacksburg. He is one of college football’s most loyal coaches, proven by his longevity with the Hokies. This coming season will be Foster’s 31st in Blacksburg.

Foster’s success is undeniable but obviously this is just my opinion on who I would choose to add to the staff. Let me know who you guys would choose in the comments and remember, assistants only. We’re not adding Nick Saban here.