THE POINDEXTER FILE

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Birthdate: July 28, 1976
Hometown: Forest, Virginia
Education: Virginia, 1999 (bachelor’s in anthropology)
Playing Experience: Virginia - S (1994-98); Baltimore Ravens – S (1999-2001); Cleveland Browns – S (2001)
Wife: Kimberly
Children: Morocca, Chloe, Anthony

COACHING HISTORY

2003: Virginia, Graduate Assistant
2004-05: Virginia, Running Backs
2006-08: Virginia, Running Backs/Assistant Special Teams
2009: Virginia, Defensive Backs/Assistant Special Teams
2010-12: Virginia, Safeties/Special Teams Coordinator
2013: Virginia, Safeties
2014-16: UConn, Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
2017-20: Purdue, Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
2021-25: Penn State, Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
2026-present: Tennessee, Co-Defensive Coordinator/Secondary

POSTSEASON APPEARANCES AS A COACH (15)

2025 Pinstripe Bowl – Penn State
2024-25 CFP Semifinal Orange Bowl – Penn State
2024-25 CFP Quarterfinal Fiesta Bowl – Penn State
2024-25 CFP First Round – 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 – Viriginia
2005 Music City Bowl – Virginia
2004 MPC Computers Bowl – Virginia
2003 Continental Tire Bowl – Virginia

POSTSEASON APPEARANCES AS A PLAYER (8)

2000-01 Super Bowl XXXV – Baltimore
2000-01 AFC Championship Game – Baltimore
2000-01 AFC Divisional Playoff – Baltimore
2000-01 AFC Wild Card – Baltimore
1998 Peach Bowl – Virginia
1996 Carquest Bowl – Virginia
1995 Peach Bowl – Virginia
1994 Independence Bowl – Virginia

NFL PLAYERS DRAFTED

S Zakee Wheatley, Carolina, 2026
S Kevin Winston Jr., Tennessee, 2025
S Jaylen Reed, Houston, 2025
S Ji’Ayir Brown, San Francisco, 2023
S Jaquan Brisker, Chicago, 2022
S Obi Melifonwu, Oakland, 2017
S Ras-l Dowling, New England, 2011
CB Chris Cook, Minnesota, 2010
RB Cedric Peerman, Baltimore, 2009
RB Jason Snelling, Atlanta, 2007
RB Wali Lundy, Houston, 2006
RB Alvin Pearman, 2005

Anthony Poindexter, a Class of 2020 College Football Hall of Fame inductee and Super Bowl champion, brings an accomplished resume to Rocky Top, including the last five seasons as the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Penn State. Poindexter was named Tennessee's co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach on Jan. 2 and enters his first season with the Vols in 2026.

During his 23-year coaching career at the collegiate level, Poindexter has also made stops at his alma mater of Virginia (2003-13), UConn (2014-16) and Purdue (2017-20), and he has spent 12 seasons as either a defensive coordinator or co-defensive coordinator.

Poindexter’s players produced a combined nine All-Big Ten laurels – first, second or honorable mention – during his nine seasons coaching in the Big Ten. Five of his safeties were selected in the NFL Draft, including three in the first three rounds. He coached in five College Football Playoff or New Year’s Six games during his five-year Penn State tenure.

Poindexter worked alongside defensive coordinator Jim Knowles in Happy Valley last season, and he served as the acting defensive coordinator in the Nittany Lions’ 22-10 win over Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl. Poindexter’s group limited the Tigers to 236 total yards and only 3.6 yards per play. Following the season, All-Big Ten honorable mention safety Zakee Wheatley was selected in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers.

Poindexter’s 2024 safeties unit contributed to a secondary and defense that ranked fourth in the FBS in interceptions (20), seventh in total defense (294.8), eighth in scoring defense (16.5), 10th in takeaways (26) and 13th in passes defended (72). His group was a guiding force for the Nittany Lions, who punched their ticket to the 2024-25 College Football Playoff. He was part of victories over SMU in the CFP First Round and Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl quarterfinal before reaching the CFP semifinal at the Orange Bowl.

Two of Poindexter’s safeties were selected in the 2025 NFL Draft following Penn State’s CFP run. All-Big Ten Second Team honoree Jaylen Reed finished second in the conference in tackles (98) among defensive backs. He was taken by the Houston Texans in the sixth round. Reed and Wheatley combine for six interceptions that fall. Meanwhile, Kevin Winston Jr. was chosen in the third round by the Tennessee Titans.

In Poindexter’s third season, Penn State finished the 2023 campaign second in the country in total defense (247.6) and allowed just 172.1 passing yards per game, good for seventh in the nation. Reed and Winston Jr. each earned honorable mention All-Big Ten laurels in their first year as starters in 2023.

Poindexter mentored a safeties group that contributed to a defense that finished first nationally with 85 pass breakups in 2022. That fall would see the Nittany Lions return to the Rose Bowl and defeat Utah, 35-21, to cap an 11-win season. Ji'Ayir Brown earned All-Big Ten honors and was selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.
Poindexter’s first season of 2021 at Penn State saw his defense allow just 17.3 points per game, which ranked sixth in the FBS, while issuing only 11 passing touchdowns, good for fourth in the FBS.

Safety Jaquan Brisker, a 2022 NFL Draft 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 recording a nation-leading six interceptions.

Poindexter also spent four seasons as either the defensive coordinator or co-defensive coordinator at Purdue (2017-20) and UConn (2014-16).

Prior to joining UConn, Poindexter was a member of the Virginia coaching staff for 11 seasons from 2003-13, spending the final five seasons coaching safeties.

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 NFL Draft second round picks.

As running backs coach at Virginia, Poindexter coached Cedric Peerman, a nine-year NFL veteran, to 1,749 career rushing yards and 15 touchdowns.

Regarded as one of the fiercest hitters in the game during his collegiate career at Virginia from 1994-98, Poindexter was a two-time consensus first-team All-American as a safety (1997, ‘98) and the 1998 ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

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.

A seventh-round pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, Poindexter played for the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns during three seasons in the league. During the 2000 season, he played in 10 games for the Ravens on the way to their victory in Super Bowl XXXV.

He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December 2020.