Tony Dews was with the WVU football under Rich Rodriguez, as well as Dana Holgorsen. He will now get another opportunity to work with a first-team head coach.
Dews was recently hired by Mike Vrabel at the Tennessee Titans. Vrabel, a former Ohio State standout, was hired by the Titans this offseason. He had been one of the most highly-regarded assistant coaches during his time with the Buckeyes coaching linebackers.
Vrabel made the jump to the NFL a few years ago and was with the Houston Texans. This job in Tennessee is a perfect fit for him and he discovered Dews, along with two other assistants, during a recent hiring spree.
Dews will be joining the Titans, along with Keith Carter and Terrell Williams, according to titansonline.com. Dews will be the running backs coach after having several successful runs on the offensive side of the ball. He coached wide receivers at West Virginia under Rodriguez and running backs under Holgorsen.
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He was also a solid recruiter and, according to 247sports.com, Dews was responsible for bringing in some of the top talent in the WVU football team’s 2018 recruiting class. Dillon Spalding, Randy Fields and Leddie Brown were all recruited by Dews. Those players had already submitted their letters on intent in the early signing period, but it has to be tough on their part to see a trusted face leave West Virginia before they could really even practice with the Mountaineers.
However, this was too good of an opportunity for Dews to pass up. He had been a collegiate assistant for 20 years. He will be able to provide for his family and live out of dream of working for a professional sports team.
With the time ticking closer to the Spring Game, Holgorsen now must look to hire another running backs coach. As the WVU football team’s offense has the potential to be among the best in the nation, the running game cannot be neglected. A big hire needs to be in the works to move the program forward.
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Dews had connections to West Virginia and it was great to have him back for a little bit after he showed his loyalty to Rodriguez, as well as a willingness to further his career.