After a historic career at Virginia Tech and a stint in the NFL, Adibi has worked his way up the coaching ranks and is now back in Blacksburg. Adibi was a defensive analyst, but due to a new NCAA rule, he is now allowed to coach as well and has found his new role as assistant linebackers coach for Virginia Tech.

Here’s everything he had to say:

Question: Was it hotter up there today in the camp that moved on to Virginia Field?

Xavier Adibi: Maybe a little bit, but ultimately you just put the football down and get ready to play.

Question: Did you ever do that when you were a player here – go to different places to get a feel for the course conditions or elements before a game?

Xavier Adibi: I don’t remember ever doing that. I know, uh, Coach B… No, I don’t remember ever doing that with Coach Beamer, Coach Foster and those guys. No, I can’t.

Question: What’s the experience like with this staff, getting out on the field, getting out in the sun and knowing how hot it’s going to be in Nashville?

Xavier Adibi: I mean, it was good. It was just good to put the guys in a different environment, just like it will be when we go to Nashville. But at the end of the day, the guys responded well. We had a good practice and did a lot of good work.

Question: How is this linebacker corps going? It sounds like there’s a lot of rotation, mixing and matching to find the best spots for the guys.

Xavier Adibi: Right, I mean, there is a lot of experience at the moment. We have some older players and a lot of experienced players. The guys are working hard, they are taking the coaching. As you said, we are mixing some players and some are playing in multiple positions. They are doing a good job.

Question: At what point during this training camp or before the game do you determine where you want the guys to play predominantly during the season?

Xavier Adibi: You never know. There will always be a shift. It’s about who complements who well and who steps in at a certain time. At the moment we are still moving people around. There are no permanent starters anywhere, so we are still trying to figure out a few things. But we have a lot of depth at that position at the moment, which is a very good thing. We are working hard and building depth.

Question: What is it like to train with Marve?

Xavier Adibi: It’s excellent. Marve is a great guy, an excellent leader. He’s someone that the kids can really look up to, just as a man in general, in his demeanor. He’s very intelligent, very articulate and gets his messages across to the kids very well.

Question: When you were thinking about becoming a coach, did you hope to eventually come back through Blacksburg?

Xavier Adibi: The thought crossed my mind, but I never knew. I always kept my options open. Blacksburg and Virginia Tech have always been my home, my heart has always been here. So when the opportunity came and the new staff came here, I jumped at it. I reached out to Coach Foster, who obviously had a good relationship with Coach Pry, and we met, talked and it happened. I’m happy to be here.

Question: Have you been talking to Bud a lot lately? Do you still see him?

Xavier Adibi: I still see him when he’s in the building. He still wants to be a little bit involved in the game, but you always see him at training. I saw him at training today. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him, but I would say I probably talk to him every week.

Question: What is your best Bud Foster story from that day that you can tell us?

Xavier Adibi: I’ll keep that to myself, man. But just so you know, he’s a very intense guy who is very passionate about the game and the people he loves. It’s always nice to see him in the building.

Question: If I’m not mistaken, you were obviously the defensive coordinator at Commerce before you came here. How much did that experience of working there and being a coordinator influence your development as a coach?

Xavier Adibi: Oh man, it was amazing. This was actually my first job as an on-field coach, so it kind of accelerated my development. Coming here and being able to coach under Coach Marve and learn a lot from Coach Pry really helped my development as a coach.

Question: I see the “Count on Me” hoodie. Coach Pry alluded to it in the spring when he said the position group that earned the most accountability points in the spring and summer would get it. Did the linebacker group win out on that one?

Xavier Adibi: The linebackers did a good job at that point, yes, sir.

Question: What does it mean to you and Coach Marve to lead this group and know that they are leaders not only on the field at the mic and on defense, but also in the community?

Xavier Adibi: Absolutely. It’s incredible to see the development of young people and how they rise to leadership roles. To see their development over the years – that’s the reason I started coaching. Simply so I can teach these kids certain lessons, certain mistakes that I made, so that they don’t make the same mistakes that I did.

Question: Will there be a season-long contest, perhaps for a different style of Count on Me hoodie?

Xavier Adibi: Not that I know of. I’m not sure. I don’t make those rules.

Question: What has changed now about the ability to give instructions on the field and how will that work? Have you thought about how you will do that in the game, since Marv is on the field calling the plays?

Xavier Adibi: That is still an ongoing discussion. At the moment I only know that I get to train the boys on the field and I really enjoy that.

Question: Did you know Jack Tyler at all?

Xavier Adibi: I never met Jack Tyler.

Question: Did your paths cross somehow?

Xavier Adibi: Our paths have actually crossed, but I have never met him before.