Justin Lee Hamilton (born September 17, 1982) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

coach and player. He was drafted by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

in the seventh round of the

2006 NFL Draft The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

and was named defensive coordinator on December 8, 2019.

Early years

Hamilton played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

Clintwood High School Clintwood High School (CHS) was one of three high schools in Dickenson County, Virginia, United States. It is located in Clintwood, the county seat of Dickenson County. It combined with aysi High Schoolin the 2015–2016 school year to form Rid ...

Clintwood, Virginia Clintwood is a town in Dickenson County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,414 at the 2010 census, with an estimated population of 1,304 in 2018. It is the county seat of Dickenson County. Although originally called "Holly Creek" aft ...

as a tailback.

College career

During his college career, Hamilton played wide receiver, tailback, and

free safety Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...

for the

Virginia Tech Hokies The Virginia Tech Hokies are the athletic teams representing the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in intercollegiate athletics. The Hokies participate in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic Coast Conference in 22 va ...

Professional career

Cleveland Browns

Hamilton was drafted in the seventh round of the

2006 NFL draft The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...

by the

and signed a four-year contract July 2006. During his rookie season, he appeared in ten games and recorded 15 tackles. Prior to the 2007 season, Hamilton was waived with an injury settlement and spent the year out of football.

Washington Redskins

On May 30, 2008, Hamilton was signed by the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

. He was released by the Redskins on June 12, but re-signed on August 7 when

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

Pete Schmitt was waived. Hamilton had a good preseason with a total of 11 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble. He survived the final cut on August 30 and made the 53-man roster. On October 14, 2008, Hamilton was cut by the Washington Redskins.

Coaching career

University of Virginia's College at Wise

Hamilton served as assistant coach and defensive coordinator at UVa-Wise. He began as the conditioning coach and 2011 was his first year as defensive coordinator for the Highland Cavaliers football team.

Virginia Military Institute

Hamilton was hired in 2014 to coach outside linebackers for the Keydets. In January 2015, new VMI head coach Scott Wachenheim announced he was retaining Hamilton on the coaching staff.

Virginia Tech

Hamilton joined Virginia Tech's staff as the Director of Player Personnel- Defense in 2018, and was promoted to safeties coach prior to the 2019 season. Following the retirement of defensive coordinator

Bud Foster Robert Eugene "Bud" Foster Jr. (born July 28, 1959) is a retired American college football coach and former player. He currently serves as a Special Assistant to Athletics Director Whit Babcock. Following the 2006 season, he received the Frank Br ...

, Hamilton was promoted to that position Dec. 8, 2019.

References

External links

Virginia Tech Hokies bioWashington Redskins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Justin 1982 births Living people People from Norton, Virginia American football cornerbacks American football safeties Virginia Tech Hokies football players Cleveland Browns players Washington Redskins players Players of American football from Virginia