New Virginia Tech Coaching Search Update Should Have Hokies Fans Intrigued
In this story:
This is shaping up to be one of the craziest college football coaching carousel's of all time and one of the jobs that is currently open is Virginia Tech. The Hokies fired head coach Brent Pry after an 0-3 start and things have only gotten marginally better now with the team sitting at 2-5. There have not been many updates regarding the Hokies coaching search aside from the search committee that was announced a couple of weeks ago.
Beamer a real possibility?
While the focus around the country has seemingly been on other open jobs such as Penn State, CBS Sports insider Richard Johnson dropped an update today and it should have Hokies fans intrigued:
"The Hokies' search committee includes former coaches Bruce Arians and Bud Foster in addition to former player Eddie Royal and multiple alums from the business world. The search had a bit of a false start when Arians went on the Pat McAfee Show and said the school was "going to hire a general manager and get him in charge of football" before they "get into the coaching search" in late September.
The Hokies have since walked that back, according to athletic director Whit Babcock, who is not leading the search, but assisting it. That is due to feedback Virginia Tech received that its candidate pool would be limited if it took a GM-first hiring approach.
His longterm future in the job is a very open question according to industry sources as Virginia Tech looks to re-do its entire athletic department, including hiring a CEO-type leader of the department to modernize a department that multiple industry sources called "outdated."
The Hokies are expected to start with sitting head coaches and then go from there, and have their own budgetary concerns. Recently, the school's board of rectors greenlit a $229.2 million infusion of funds over the next four years, with $47.1 million coming next year, and approximately $61 million in the next three years. But when looking into the funding sources, $30 million each year are due to come from fundraising efforts, which implies that the funds are not already on hand at the university.
Requests for comment by CBS Sports from multiple members of the board charged with designing the budget were not returned, but Babcock said on a school-produced podcast he is confident the athletic department can secure the funds.
"We certainly have a high degree of confidence that we will operate with the additional $47.1 million budget resources committed to us this fiscal year and the out years too."
Babcock said athletics will be able to use fundraising staffers from the university side, which raised $225 million last year. Don't expect much more public comments from the search committee as it was reported the committee signed non-disclosure agreements and will no longer be speaking about it.
But industry sources do not discount the possibility of a return by South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer to Blacksburg, where his father's legacy looms large.
Asked about his possible interest in the Virginia Tech job in September, Beamer said: "I think the week of the Virginia Tech game, I told everyone how I feel about South Carolina and my love for this place. That's where my focus is at right now, just getting our football team better."
When Virginia Tech first fired Pry, there was a lot of speculation about Beamer and if he would be interested, but at the time, South Carolina was still ranked and contending for big prizes this season. The Gamecocks are now 3-3 and South Carolina is likely to lose quarterback LaNorris Sellers to the NFL after the season.
In the past however, Beamer has shot down any speculation about the Hokies job:
“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'."
Beamer would be a fantastic hire for Virginia Tech, but would he leave an SEC school to come to Blacksburg? What if Beamer is pursued by other open jobs? Don't discount the possibility, but it still seems far fetched.
The other thing to think about is if Beamer is even the best candidate anymore. With Penn State moving on from James Franklin, should the Hokies be all in on trying to land Beamer if they could possibly land Franklin? Franklin has a better track record and is going to be the most accomplished coach that is available this offseason.
There are sure to be twists and turns in this coaching search, but this latest update is intriguing to say the least.
More Virginia Tech Football news:
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
Follow jacksoncaudell