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Published Mar 23, 2017
Fuente, Hokies add support staffer
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Tim Sullivan  •  HokieHaven
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VT fans have been clamoring for the Hokies' football staff to add more manpower, and Justin Fuente made a stride in that department this morning with the hiring of Director of Player Development Adam Lechtenberg.

From University release:

BLACKSBURG – Head coach Justin Fuente announced Thursday that Adam Lechtenberg has joined the Virginia Tech staff as director of player development. In that role, the Butte, Nebraska native will work closely with Fuente, Senior Director of Football Operations Danielle Bartelstein and the entire Hokies’ football staff.

“Adam brings a diverse skill set to Blacksburg that will benefit our program and our student-athletes,” Fuente said. “I’ve worked with Adam dating back to our days on Gary Patterson’s staff at TCU. He knows the expectations that I have for our program and our student-athletes. Adam has a deep appreciation for the attention to detail it takes for a program to be successful at this level. We’re excited that he’s joining our team at Virginia Tech.”

During his tenure working with Fuente at Memphis from 2012-15, Lechtenberg served as director of player personnel, and he managed many aspects of the evaluation and recruiting process. In addition, he acted as a liaison between the football program and academics, admissions and housing, while overseeing the Tigers’ walk-on program that made a substantial impact on the on-field turnaround at Memphis under Fuente. In total, 11 of his walk-ons eventually earned scholarships at Memphis, while 23 made major contributions.

Lechtenberg spent the 2016 season as passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach at the University of Tennesee at Martin. In addition to his on-field coaching duties, his recruiting territory included Alabama, Tennessee and junior colleges.

A former football student-athlete at the University of Nebraska, he began his coaching career as an offensive graduate assistant working with Fuente from 2007-09. He spent the 2010-11 seasons as co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Central Connecticut State.

Lechtenberg has experience both as an on-field coach and a support staffer, the latter of which will be his role with the Hokies. A Director of Player Development (DPD) can typically have a wide range of roles, including tasks in recruiting - where VT fans would love to see the Hokies continue to catch up to some of the national powers.

Expect many of Lechtenberg's roles to reprise those he filled while on Fuente's staff at Memphis: as a liaison between the program and the non-athletic portions of the university, and managing a walk-on program.

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