Photo by Doug Johnson-Mountaineer Maven
Coaching Candidate Profile: Dave Plungas
Following the departure of West Virginia outside linebackers coach Al Pogue, Mountaineer Maven profiled several potential replacements, but a coaching move outside the football program has brought another name to the discussion.
Mountaineer volleyball coach Reed Sunahara announced the addition of new assistant coach Traci Plungas to the staff on Wednesday. One of the most interesting twists is the possible involvement of Plungas’ husband: Robert Morris University defensive coordinator Dave Plungas.
He has served in that role for the last two seasons, having been named to that post in January of 2018. His prior stops included a three-year stint with the Albany Great Danes as outside linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator.
There, he coached seven all-Colonial Athletic Association performers including Michael Nicastro who, in 2016, ranked in the top four in FCS in total tackles and forced fumbles. His contributions as a position coach helped the Great Danes rank as the ninth-best defense nationally in FCS in 2017, allowing just 282.1 yards of total offense per game.
Plungas began his coach career at Division III Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, coaching linebackers in 2013 and 2014. He is a 2013 graduate of Albany where he played linebacker for four years.
Tallying 246 tackles in 43 career games, the Concord Township, Ohio native was a part of three Northeast Conference Championships and the program’s first FCS National Playoff berth in 2011.
Traci Plungas was a four-year letterwinner and all-conference performer in volleyball at Albany before going on to a five-year term on staff with the Great Danes. She spent the last two years as an assistant coach at Colgate before being formally announced as the newest Mountaineer assistant.
The jury is still out on who will be the next outside linebackers coach for the West Virginia Mountaineers but Dave Plungas is now emerging as a logical name for consideration by Neal Brown and company.
