Michael Villagrana is in his first year with Happy Valley United after serving three seasons with Virginia Tech, serving as the Hokies’ senior director of player personnel. He joined Virginia Tech after working as general manager at Marshall University, where he managed recruiting, player personnel, and roster oversight alongside head coach Charles Huff.

At Marshall, Villagrana led the charge to secure the university’s highest-rated recruiting class in 2022. Before that, he served as director of recruiting at Mississippi State, collaborating with head coaches Mike Leach and Joe Moorhead. He was instrumental in stabilizing the 2020 recruiting class during a coaching transition, ultimately securing commitments from 24 of 25 players. Mississippi State’s 2021 recruiting class ranked 26th nationally, while the 2019 class, which included standout recruit Charles Cross, ranked 24th.

Villagrana’s career in college football recruiting began at Penn State, where he worked from 2015 to 2017.  At Penn State, he played a key role in building highly ranked recruiting classes, helping recruit future NFL players like Micah Parsons, Odafe Oweh, and Pat Freiermuth. Starting as an assistant recruiting coordinator in 2015, Villagrana transitioned from coaching to player personnel.

Earlier in his career, Villagrana coached wide receivers at Savannah State in 2014. Before that, he was offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Hampton in 2013, following his role as special teams coordinator from 2010 to 2012.

Originally from Youngstown, Ohio, Villagrana began his collegiate career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, West Virginia University, where he earned a master’s degree in athletic coaching education. A former player, he was part of the Mountaineers’ Sugar Bowl and Fiesta Bowl victories from 2003 to 2007, contributing as both a defensive lineman and tight end.

Villagrana and his wife, Tiffany, have two children, Dominic and Camryn.