 On January 3, 2012 it was announced that Tenuta was hired as assistant coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign by new head coach Tim Beckman, however Tenuta announced on January 4, 2012 that he would remain at NC State.On January 3, 2013, it was announced that Tenuta and former North Carolina State head coach Tom O'Brien would be joining the coaching staff at the University of Virginia.Tenuta served as the defensive coordinator for the Cavaliers until 2015.