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Fighting Gobbler Roundtable: Will Frank Beamer Be the Head Coach of the Hokies in 2015?

By Tim Thomas

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Oct 4, 2014; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Frank Beamer (R) talks with his team during a break in the first half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday, we took an inside look at some opinions on the future of Frank Beamer and whether he should be the Hokies’ head coach next season. Today, we ask the question about whether Beamer will be the head coach of the Hokies in 2015?

This question is focused on what exactly athletic director Whit Babcock will do regarding this situation. There are going to be plenty of factors that are a part of this decision that Babcock will have to make in a few weeks.

Now let’s get to the opinions of the staff of Fighting Gobbler on this hot button issue.

Dwight Lester

Will Frank Beamer be the head coach at Virginia Tech next season?  The question is one that is all over the minds of fans of the Hokies.  I think the question is a ridiculous one just to say the least.  Frank Beamer and the Hokies are having a not so stellar season but Beamer losing his job, the idea is just absurd.  Frank Beamer is an institution at Virginia Tech and is the main reason the Hokies have jumped into and stayed in the national spotlight.

Whit Babcock is a new athletic director and getting rid of a legend such as Beamer would be a tough decision to have Hokie Nation get behind.  Babcock made a flashy hire on the basketball court in Buzz Williams.  If Williams works out, Babcock might have then garnered enough clout in the program to fire a Virginia Tech legend.

The Hokie faithful might want Beamer’s head right now but how would they react if Babcock had to bring in a replacement and he did not bring the Hokies back to a ten win team.

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Lets imagine that Babcock did fire Frank Beamer. Who would be his replacement?  The list of available coaches is not a very long one.  The likely replacement would be Bud Foster but who else would be on the list.

That is a question for another day, but if our hypothesis is right and Babcock did have to hire a new coach, he would have to make a big splash as he did with his first hire.  Babcock is more likely to play it safe and wait the rough times out with a proven coach.  After all, why would you get rid of the active coaching wins leader.

Joe Vitulli

Oct 16, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Frank Beamer looks on from the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first quarter at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh won 21-16. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The idea that Frank Beamer will be fired before next season is absolutely crazy but the end is near.  The man is 68 years old and has certainly showed signs of slowing down over the past few years.  His recruiting has suffered as he has delegated more and more to his assistants and the result has been a third straight sub-par season.

Bud Foster is the heir apparent whenever the winningist active coach in the NCAA decides to call it quits.  Legendary coaches are not immune to criticism and they have been shown the door before.  As I mentioned in yesterday’s roundtable, both Bobby Bowden and Mack Brown’s national championships were unable to save them from a series of seasons that fell below the lofty expectations that their previous success set.

The Virginia Tech Hokies will undoubtedly be Beamer’s team in 2015 and most likely 2016 as well.  However, one way or another, there will be a new head coach on the sidelines in Blacksburg before this year’s freshman class graduates.

Tim Thomas

Whit Babcock is an athletic director that is willing to make bold decisions and has proven his ability to make big hires. Frank Beamer has built a great program but Babcock is going to evaluate this program to see if Beamer is now destroying the program too much or if Beamer is the guy to lead the Hokies back to the national spotlight.

The historical success of Beamer will help along with the fact that Virginia Tech is building a recruiting class that might just end up being one of the best in Virginia Tech football history. The Hokies have struggled to finish out a lot of home games this season and have lost three of their four home games by less than 7 points.

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Expectations were raised a lot higher than they should have been after the victory over an Ohio State team that is heavily overrated and will be blown out by Michigan State. The Hokies are a young team that is still learning and can only get better as shown by the way this group is improving.

The biggest thing that will help Beamer’s cause is the fact that his players still believe in him and the coaches which is critical in any setting. However, the struggles of the last few seasons and the smallest crowd at Lane Stadium in a long time will hurt Beamer’s chances.

This is going to be a tough decision but I think Beamer will be back. However, Beamer’s job is nowhere near being safe.