Marques Hagans 'couldn't turn down' chance to work at Penn State, for James Franklin
STATE COLLEGE — Penn State football hired Marques Hagans to be its next receivers coach in January after moving on from Taylor Stubblefield following the 2022 season. On Wednesday, he discussed his new job for the first time.
Hagans spent over a decade at Virginia as a player and coach. He has never coached college football anywhere else. But, he sees the chance for change as a benefit to his career and the Lions. And, Franklin sees it that way, too.
“Just having an opportunity to work for Coach Franklin and enjoying Penn State, it was a great opportunity I couldn’t turn down,” Hagans said. “It wasn’t an easy decision, but I couldn’t turn down the opportunity.”
Added Franklin:
“He’s going to bring some things in from his experience at UVA that it’s valuable, and I’m gonna want that feedback from him. And, we’ll ask for that feedback. But, there are obviously going to be some things that we do differently that he hasn’t experienced before that I think are going to push him outside of his comfort zone.”
Hagans said that his wife, Lauren, is a breast cancer survivor. Her treatment, care, and recovery in Charlottesville meant leaving the ACC school was not an option during a prior time in his career. But, all things have now aligned for him to lead a Big Ten receivers room for the first time.
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“Coach Franklin is someone I’ve known over the years and had a lot of respect for from afar. Once he reached out to [current Virginia coach Tony] Elliott; there are a lot of moving parts, but I’m just grateful to be here, and that coach believes in me.”
Hagans reunites with Anthony Poindexter at Penn State
Hagans was coached by current Penn State co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter at Virginia. They later were on the program’s coaching staff together in Charlottesville before Poindexter came to State College. Now, they’re back together again, and it’s clear that the two have a close bond. In fact, one of Hagans’ son’s has the middle name of “Dex,’ which is, of course, Poindexter’s nickname.
“Just to have an opportunity to play for someone who is a UVA legend, and to see how much he cared for me like off the field, it meant a lot,” Hagans said. “Ironically, my career has kind of followed the same path as his, and I just think that, when you have such a great example in front of you to follow one that, you know, he’s one of the best ever do it and he means a lot to me and my family.”
