ESPN Names The Top Five Candidates To Be Virginia Tech's Next Head Coach
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The Virginia Tech job is now open.
After a 0-3 start to the 2025 season and a 16-24 overall record, Virginia Tech made the decision to move on from Brent Pry. It was the right decision, and now Virginia Tech is going to need to make a smart hire for its next head coach.
But who will that be?
Five Candidates For The Job
This is going to be a fascinating coaching search with a number of potential options. In a panel of ESPN CFB insiders, these were the five names who wer mentioned as potential candidates:
South Carolina coach Shane Beamer: "The search likely has to start with Beamer, Frank's son and a former Virginia Tech player who grew up around the program and witnessed the Hokies reach incredible heights. He has proven himself at South Carolina, beating rival Clemson in two of the past three years and recording other notable victories in SEC play. Beamer, 48, loves South Carolina and sees it as more of a destination than most coaches do. But sustaining success there isn't easy, and the chance to restore Virginia Tech -- in a league with an easier CFP path -- could tempt him. Virginia Tech has to make him say no."
South Florida coach Alex Golesh: "He would give Virginia Tech a jolt both in recruiting and play style, and brings some knowledge of the region after spending the 2021 and 2022 seasons as Tennessee's offensive coordinator. Golesh molded his offensive philosophy under Josh Heupel at Tennessee and UCF, after working for Matt Campbell at Iowa State. The 41-year-old began this season with signature wins against Boise State and Florida, and he has his team positioned to contend in the American."
Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield: "He's quietly doing exceptional work at a program he has shaped into his own, and he could apply the same approach at Virginia Tech. Silverfield is 24-5 since the start of the 2023 season and has held his own against some of the other top coaches from the American in Tulane's Jon Sumrall and South Florida's Alex Golesh. He has been on the Memphis staff since 2016, but also he would bring some NFL experience to Virginia Tech. While some might not get past the idea of hiring another Memphis coach -- Fuente made the same move in late 2015 -- Silverfield deserves a close look."
James Madison coach Bob Chesney: "Power 4 programs soon will be coming after Chesney, who has been a head coach since 2010 and has built up programs at various levels. He's already in the state at James Madison, which he led to a 9-4 record and a win at North Carolina in his debut season. Chesney, 48, is 121-51 as a college coach. The Pennsylvania native is a bit more connected to the Northeast but has familiarity with the areas Virginia Tech primarily recruits."
Southern Miss coach Charles Huff: "His knowledge of the area is undeniable as a former player at Hampton who has worked at multiple programs in Tennessee and landed his first head-coaching job at Marshall, which he led to a Sun Belt championship last fall. The 42-year-old Huff made an unusual move to Southern Miss but is already 2-1 there and 34-21 overall as an FBS coach. He has recruited in the state of Virginia and the region throughout his career and has made stops in the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and NFL."
Are these realistic candidates?
Beamer is going to be the hot name because he has done a fantastic job at South Carolina and he is the son of legendary coach Frank Beamer. There is nobody who knows the program better, but would he leave South Carolina for Blacksburg? The Hokies would likely have an easier path to the playoff in the ACC, but the uncertain future of the conference and the disparity in resources might make this a non-starter.
Beamer has also talked about not wanting to be in his dads shadow at Virginia Tech:
"I wanna retire [at South Carolina]," Shane Beamer said. "I wanna make an impact here, on and off the field, for a long time. Like my dad did at Virginia Tech."
“I love Virginia Tech," Shane Beamer said. "I was there before as an assistant coach, but up there, I’m always Frank’s son. I came to South Carolina because I wanted to make my own name, be Shane Beamer and not just 'Frank's son'."
Golesh is going to be on the shortlist of many big name programs that have openings and he might be waiting for an SEC job to come open.
There is a long way to go in this search and it will likely be months before a coach is named.
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Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell
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