Virginia Tech has added a Montgomery County native to its football coaching staff, as Gaithersburg’s Derrick Tangelo joined the Hokies in 2026.
According to his Virginia Tech bio, Tangelo arrives in Blacksburg after serving as an assistant coach at Bullis School in Potomac during the 2024 season before spending 2025 as a graduate assistant at Troy.
Tangelo’s return to the Bullis sidelines came years after starring for the program as a player. According to his Penn State bio, Tangelo played at Bullis School under coach Pat Cilento and was rated as a three-star prospect by ESPN, Scout, and 247Sports coming out of high school. Tangelo also attended middle at Roberto Clemente in Germantown.
During his senior season, Tangelo recorded 50 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, and eight sacks, earning USA Today American Family Insurance All-USA Washington D.C. honors along with first-team All-Interstate Athletic Conference recognition. He was also selected to play in both the 2016 Offense-Defense All-American Bowl and the Maryland Crab Bowl.
As a junior at Bullis, Tangelo totaled 39 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and six sacks while earning first-team all-conference honors. He helped the program capture two conference championships during his three-year tenure with the school. In addition to football, Tangelo also competed in basketball and track and field.
Tangelo went on to play collegiately at Duke from 2017-20 where he was a four-year letterman and three-year starter on the defensive line. Over 45 games with the Blue Devils, he recorded 114 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
Following his time at Duke, Tangelo spent the 2021 season at Penn State as a graduate transfer. During his lone season with the Nittany Lions, he totaled 29 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
After college, Tangelo signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and also spent time with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League before transitioning into coaching.
