After three seasons at the helm of the program, Danny Rocco announced his resignation as head football coach for Virginia Military Institute on Tuesday of last week.
Rocco, 65, has accepted a job as a senior analyst for new Virginia Tech football head coach James Franklin, a position Rocco held under Franklin at Penn State University in 2022.
During Rocco’s first year at VMI he coached the Keydets to a 5-6 record overall, with a 4-4 record in Southern Conference play, marking just the fourth time in 20 years the VMI football team had won five total games and posted four conference wins in a single year. The Keydets capped off Rocco’s first year in resounding fashion, defeating No. 14 Western Carolina, giving VMI its first top 25 win since October 2021. Rocco was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Football Championship Subdivision National Coach of the Year Award for the seventh time in his career.
The Keydets then went 1-11 overall and 1-7 in SoCon play in 2024 before going 1-11 overall and 0-8 in SoCon play this season. Over Rocco’s three years, his record as VMI’s coach was 7-28.
In a press release last Tuesday, Rocco expressed his appreciation to VMI Superintendent Lt. Gen. David J. Furness and VMI athletic director Jamaal Walton.
“It has been an honor and privilege to serve all of you as your head football coach,” Rocco said. “I want to thank Jamaal Walton for his ongoing support. He has been a tireless worker, looking for ways to improve both the cadet-athlete experience as well as creative ways to move the program forward. I will be forever grateful for Jamaal’s support, encouragement and optimism.”
“I want to recognize and thank Lt. Gen. Furness for his immediate impact and support,” added Rocco. “I am confident that both Jamaal and Lt. Gen. Furness will be successful in finding a path towards success for VMI football.”
On Thursday, Walton told The Roanoke Times that VMI is not going to rush into hiring a new football coach. Many colleges would want to hire a new coach before the transfer portal window opens on Jan. 2, but the VMI football program is not a destination for transfers. “If we were to look at that late January, early February time frame, that would be what I would say we were zeroing in at right now,” said Walton.
In last Tuesday’s press release, Walton said, “I want to thank Coach Rocco for leading VMI football for the past three seasons. Coach Rocco represented VMI to the highest standards of professionalism and character. I wish Coach Rocco and the Rocco family the best moving forward.”
Lt. Gen. Furness added his gratitude for Rocco as well. “I want to thank Coach Rocco for his service to the Institute these past three seasons,” said Furness. “The wins and losses do not reflect how Coach Rocco developed his cadet-athletes as not just football players, but also as leaders of character. I wish him and the Rocco family the best in their future endeavors.”
While the past two seasons did not yield the wins Rocco and his staff worked for, the Keydets continued to represent the Institute well, with 13 allconference honorees.
“I want to thank our coaches for all of their hard work and sacrifices,” said Rocco. “They spend the majority of their time and energy focusing on the players and our team. Their hard work and sacrifices are both recognized and greatly appreciated.”
