Joshua “jdm” Marzano is set to embark on a new role in his career as the new VALORANT coach for FaZe Clan, sources tell Rush B Media. The former professional Counter-Strike player last competed on Envy in mid-2019 and has since been inactive in either game for the past two years.
Marzano announced his move to VALORANT in a tweet on his birthday in 2020, however it was subsequently deleted. Despite the suggestion at the time that he wanted to be heavily involved in the VALROANT scene, jdm has of the time of this report only streamed the game on a handful of occasions and has never played in or coached a lineup in Riot’s FPS.
More surprisingly, the move is set oust the team’s current coach, Thomas “Trippy” Schappy, who only moved to the coaching role in March following four months as their analyst. Marzano’s lack of exposure to the competitive VALORANT scene definitely looks to be a wildcard for the team after they struggled to qualify to VCT Masters Berlin — being eliminated by Envy in Challengers Stage 3.
FaZe Clan still have a chance to qualify to VALORANT Champions in the Last Chance Qualifier set to take place in mid-October. The team will compete with the likes of 100 Thieves, Version1, and the top Oceanic teams for a single slot at the culminating event of the VALORANT Champions Tour.
With the change in coaching staff, FaZe Clan will be:
- Andrej “babybay” Francisty
- Corey “corey” Nigra
- Zachary “Zacharee” Lombardo
- Shane “Rawkus” Flaherty
- Hunter “babyJ” Schline
- Joshua “jdm64” Marzano (Coach)
Representatives from FaZe Clan declined to comment.
