VMI Athletics

Fall of 2025 will be Rocco's third at VMI and 19th overall as a Head Coach at the FCS Level.

While 2024 featured numerous injuries, the Keydets were able to prevail 21-17 over Furman on November 4, resulting in Shamus Jones being named SoCon Defensive Player of the Week. After the season, seven players were named All-SoCon, including running back Hunter Rice who graduated VMI as one of the most decorated players to play for the program. Eight more Keydets were named to Phil Steele Postseason squads and 35 earned Fall Academic All-SoCon recognition. 

After the season, VMI signed 21 commits for the incoming class. The 2025 slate features five home games and three notable road contests - Navy, Richmond and The Citadel. 

Coming to VMI in December of 2022, Rocco enters his second year at the helm of VMI Football.

Rocco hit the ground running in 2023, taking a team that went 1-10 the previous season and coaching them to a 5-6 record and an even 4-4 mark in conference play in his first year in Lexington. 

The 2023 season marked just the fourth time in 20 years that VMI Football had won five games and/or four conference games 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 of 2021. 

Due to the success, Rocco was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson FCS National Coach of the Year Award for the seventh time in his career. Eight Players earned All-SoCon honors under the tutelage of Rocco, while three players earned SoCon Player of the Week recognition and punter Jack Culbreath earned National Player of the Week honors. 

In addition to capping off the season with a top-15 win, VMI was able to reclaim the Silver Shako for the first time since 2020 with a 17-13 win in Charleston. 

For his career, Rocco sports a 126-71 record as head coach.

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On December 3, 2022, Danny Rocco was named VMI's 33rd Head Football Coach. Full release.

"Coach Rocco has had a great deal of success at every level leading his teams both on and off the field," stated Major General Cedric T. Wins. "He is clearly someone who believes in developing his players into leaders of character in perfect alignment with VMI's mission. I look forward to the future success that our cadet-athletes will enjoy from his leadership."

"It is a privilege to welcome Danny to Lexington," Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Jim Miller said. "I have seen his success firsthand, and believe he will bring that winning tradition with him here to VMI."

"It's an honor to be here, it's a great opportunity for me and my family," Rocco said. "I'm very appreciative of General Wins and his support and Jim Miller, who I worked for at Richmond. I'm at an Institution that has a great history and a proud history. They play in a really good conference, I'm familiar with the SoCon having been an FCS Head Coach for 16 seasons. First and foremost, I want to get to meet the cadet-athletes, I want to be able to get to know them and make a positive impact in their lives as we work together to win football games and adhere to our core values."

Rocco brings a decorated coaching history with him to Lexington, with experience at the FBS and FCS level, as well as the NFL. A six-time national coach of the year finalist, Rocco has won seven conference championships (4 Big South, 3 CAA) in his 16 years at the helm. Some of Rocco's other accolades include: five FCS playoff appearances, four Big South Conference Championships, three Colonial Athletic Association Championships, 10 top-25 finishes and 12 seasons with seven or more wins while coaching 42 All-Americans.

Much of Rocco’s success has come  in the state of Virginia, where he served as the head coach for Liberty from 2006-2011, before taking over at the University of Richmond in 2012. After a successful stint at Richmond in which he led the Spiders to three straight NCAA FCS Playoff appearances (Second Round, Semifinal, Quarterfinal), Rocco would take over at the University of Delaware, coaching the Blue Hens to the 2020 FCS Semifinal game. Most recently, Rocco served as a Defensive Senior Analyst for Penn State, helping the Nittany Lions to a 10-2 regular season record last year (2022).

Some of Rocco's stops as an assistant included the New York Jets, University of Virginia, University of Maryland and the University of Texas. Rocco got his coaching start at the place he finished his playing career – Wake Forest. Playing his first two years at Penn State, Rocco transferred to Wake Forest, graduating in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in speech communication and rhetoric and adding a master's degree in 1987 (education & counseling).

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Rocco and his wife Julie reside on post and are the proud parents of David and Amy. David currently serves as an offensive analyst at Penn State.