Shane Beamer Responds To Rumors Connecting Him To Virginia Tech Job
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Virginia Tech has an open head coaching vacancy and since the job opened, there have been rumors connecting South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer to the job. Beamer has said multiple times that he is committed to being the head coach of the Gamecocks, but the subject was brought up again this week.
Beamer continued to say that he was happy at South Carolina.
“I have no idea where that story came from. I have conveyed publicly many times how much I want to be here. And I respect the question, I understand you asking it, and I’m not mad. I’ve conveyed many times how much I want to be here. This is my dream job. I said that when I came here. Nothing has changed. I am pissed off at the way we are performing right now, and it’s not acceptable.
“I came here to win a championship, and right now we’re not getting it done, and my focus right now is on getting it fixed, and getting back to, last year, we were two points away from being in the College Football Playoff, and I am working my rear end off to get us back to where we’re in that mix and playoff talk. And that’s the same thing I told our football team today, that I guess the gist of that article was that would be a parachute or something for me to get out of here and have a soft landing spot. Well, I’m not happy with where we are right now, and I’m determined to get it fixed. We’re in a storm right now that I’m going to get us out of.”
South Carolina coach Shane Beamer on his Sunday teleconference responding to a question about Virginia Tech rumors:
— Wes Mitchell (@WesMitchellGC) October 19, 2025
“I have no idea where that story came from. I have conveyed publicly many times how much I want to be here. And I respect the question, I understand you asking it,… pic.twitter.com/i4KfOgFjeG
Coaching search continues
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 last week 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.
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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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