LEXINGTON, Va. – New VMI Head Football Coach Ashley Ingram officially announced his defensive staff and new strength and conditioning coach on Wednesday.

Jared Backus – Defensive Coordinator
Backus comes to VMI from Cornell, where he served as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator since 2013. At Cornell, Backus developed and coached 28 All-Ivy League players as the Big Red defense ranked 32^nd in passing offense in 2017 and finished in the top 25 in first downs (6^th), third-downs (10^th), red zone (14^th), rushing (19^th), scoring (17^th), and total defense (21^st) in 2019. Among Backus' stops (Princeton, Temple, Maine, Rutgers) was Bucknell where he and coach Ingram were on the same staff in 2006, helping lead the biggest turnaround at the FCS level, taking a team from 1-10 in 20025 to 6-5 in 2006. Serving as the Bison's defensive coordinator, Backus coached all-conference players such as Sean Conover who would go on to spend three seasons with the Tennessee Titans and his 2004 unit was 24^th nationally in scoring defense.

At Temple (2006-09), Backus was part of a staff that posted a 10-3 record in 2009, earning the school its first bowl bid before heading to Princeton for the 2010 season. Serving as the defensive coordinator for Princeton, Backus drastically improved a Tigers defensive unit that would rank third in the nation in scoring defense, ninth in sacks and red zone defense, 17^th in scoring and rushing defense and 28^th in tackles for loss in his final season (2012) before his tenure at Cornell. One of Backus' other notable stops was the aforementioned Maine, in which the Black Bears won the 2001 Atlantic 10 Championship and made the FCS Quarterfinal. Graduating from Springfield College in 1993, Backus would add a master's degree in physical education in 1998. A two-year letterwinner at Springfield, Backus and his wife Amanda have two sons, Garrett and Gavin, and a daughter, Grace.

Guido Falbo - Linebackers
Falbo comes to Lexington from St. Thomas where he was the special teams coordinator and safeties coach this past season, helping the Tommies to a 7-5 record. Prior to St. Thomas, Falbo was the special teams coordinator and assistant coach for 10 years at Cornell (2014-2024). At Cornell, Falbo had a variety of roles (linebackers, running backs) and coached a number of All-Ivy League honorees including Luke Hagy, who would become the first player in league history to surpass 2,00 rushing and 1,500 receiving yards in a career. Falbo also coached Chris Fraser, who re-wrote both the Cornell and Ivy League record books for punting.

Falbo's other career stops include RPI, UMass, St. Lawrence, Syracuse, Western Connecticut, California (Pa.) Maine Maritime Academy and Rhode Island (2002-03) where he overlapped with Coach Ingram. Falbo and his wife Stephanie have three sons.

Parrish Gaines – Cornerbacks
Gaines comes to VMI after spending the last three seasons at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, where he coached defensive backs and served as Special Teams Coordinator for one of the nation's top prep programs. After a playing career at Navy (2011-14), Gaines began his coaching career at the Naval Academy Preparatory School in 2016 as linebackers coach and special teams coordinator before serving as a graduate assistant at Miami (Ohio) and later at the University of Cincinnati during one of the most successful stretches in program history. Specializing in defensive back play, Gaines helped Cincinnati to a 13-0 start, the program's first College Football Playoff appearance, and the nation's top-ranked pass defense in 2021. At Cincinnati, he coached future NFL draft picks Coby Bryant (Seahawks), the 2021 Jim Thorpe Award winner, and Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner (Jets/Colts), a First-Team All-American and the fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft.

A United States Naval Academy graduate, Gaines served six years on active duty as a commissioned Navy officer, and his personal decorations include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation. A Smyrna, Tennessee, native, he made 46 consecutive starts at defensive back for the Midshipmen, earned multiple First Team All-Conference honors, and was elected co-captain as a senior in 2014. Gaines holds graduate degrees from Vanderbilt University (MBA), the University of Louisville (Sport Administration), the University of Cincinnati (Education), and Troy University (Human Resource Management).

Conner Hayes - Outside Linebackers
Hayes will also join VMI from Cornell, where he worked under Backus as a defensive analyst. A native of North Syracuse, New York, Hayes played quarterback for Ithaca, appearing in 18 games over two years, graduating with a degree in business administration with a concentration in sport management in 2023.
In the fall of 2023, Hayes coached at a local high school before joining the Ithaca staff as an offensive assistant in November. Shortly after, Hayes would move on to Cornell, serving as special teams quality control in addition to his analyst duties.  

Erik Schwager - Strength & Conditioning 
A Pennsylvania native, Schwager earned his bachelor's from Lock Haven in 2009 and added his master's from California (Pa.) in 2012. Schwager has had a number of impressive stops during his career including internships with Princeton, University of South Florida and Michigan State (football + Olympic sports). Schwager has been the director of strength and conditioning at Newberry, Northwestern State, Charleston Southern University and Gray Collegiate Academy, was an assistant football strength coach at Kansas State and was a contractor for Reef Corp Systems in which he designed performance programs for para jumpers in the United States Air Force.

Schwager holds both National Strength and Conditioning (NCSA) and National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) certifications, as well CPR and AED.

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