Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 12 No. 4 | March 2020

of his nature, he took notes on each coach’s approach. When he played, he always believed that a smarter player was a better player. Now, he believes that a smarter coach is a better coach. “I’m learning on the fly, but I honestly believe I have a gift to where I’m not overwhelmed,” Tapp said. “I truly believe this is where I’m supposed to be. It’s no different when I got into football and I got here to Tech. I wasn’t overwhelmed. I just put on my helmet and went to work. It was the same thing when I got to Seattle. It wasn’t like, ‘Ahh, I’m made it. Second-round pick.’ It was like, “All right, let’s get to work.’ It’s no different now with the recruiting thing. I’m learning on the fly and figuring out what is the best way to do it for me. No difference. Let’s get to work.” Spring football practice started March 21, and Tapp found himself in his element—teaching, coaching, and mentoring. He and Hamilton are back together again. They helped build the tradition of Virginia Tech defense back in the day, and now they, along with Smith, Teerlinck and linebackers coach Tracy Claeys are molding the Hokies’ defense into their vision of what they want it to be. That Tapp gets to do that at the place that means so much to him only makes the experience all the more surreal. He’s finally back home, and yet in spite of an ever-changing landscape, it feels as though he never left. Former All-American Darryl Tapp made a name for himself as a player at Virginia Tech, and now he’s excited about returning to make a name for himself as a coach by Jimmy Robertson IHS extra TAPP A N D TECH A PERFECT COM BIN ATI ON inside.hokiesports.com 29