Still no official confirmation, but Hokies’ coaching staff picture becoming clearer
It’s the 21st day since Virginia Tech’s Russell Athletic Bowl win against Rutgers, and the school still has not officially announced any hirings or firings on its coaching staff.
That’s not to say the pieces haven’t already been put together. Wide receivers coach Kevin Sherman is already at Purdue (look, he’s already at work, despite no official announcement from the Boilermakers). Multiple reports have offensive line coach Curt Newsome heading to James Madison (again, nothing official from the Dukes). And late Thursday night, Mike Barber of the Times-Dispatch reported that quarterbacks coach Mike O’Cain said he was fired Tuesday.
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There has still not been a peep from the Virginia Tech football office, although the process of adding the following coaches is presumably nearly done:
– Scot Loeffler as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach: The former Auburn and Temple offensive coordinator interviewed with Virginia Tech on Monday for a second time. CBS Sports and ESPN have a source telling them he has been hired. Virginia Tech has made no such confirmation, although it just seems to be a matter of going through the proper HR channels. Loeffler previously spent time as an assistant at Florida, Michigan and with the Detroit Lions and has tutored Tom Brady, Chad Henne and Tim Tebow in his career.
– Jeff Grimes as offensive line coach: The former Auburn offensive line coach interviewed in Blacksburg with Loeffler on Monday. He spent four year with the Tigers, including the national championship season in 2010. He previously worked at Colorado, BYU, Arizona State and Boise State.
– Aaron Moorehead as wide receivers coach: The Stanford offensive assistant interviewed Monday, per the Washington Post. The former Illinois wide receiver played in the NFL from 2003-07 for Indianapolis, winning the 2006 Super Bowl with the Colts. He’s spent 2009 as a graduate assistant at New Mexico before joining Stanford. FootballScoop.com says he will be hired. Tech has not announced it formally.
It is expected that offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring will remain on staff and coach tight ends in the new setup, although again, that has not been confirmed by the school.
When, exactly, the Hokies will make the hires known publicly remains unknown. Thursday’s snowfall might slow down the necessary steps needed before Virginia Tech can announce the staff changes. Frank Beamer, at least based off his previous staff shakeup, prefers to announce all the moves at the same time.
When it happens — Friday perhaps? — it will be the most radical staff shakeup in Beamer’s time. Here a look at some other notable changes and overhauls in Beamer’s 26 years in Blacksburg:
- 2011: Shortly after Signing Day, Beamer brought aboard his son, Shane, as a running backs coach and former Hokies star defensive end Cornell Brown as an outside linebackers coach, shifting long-time assistants Jim Cavanaugh and Billy Hite into administrative roles. O’Cain was also named play-caller, although Stinespring maintained the offensive coordinator title.
- 2006: The last major overhaul on the staff occurred after an 11-2 season. Quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers resigned to take a job with the Minnesota Vikings. Receivers coach Tony Ball went to Georgia. Defensive backs coach Lorenzo Ward took a job with the Oakland Raiders. And offensive line coach Danny Pearman was reassigned to an athletic department post before leaving for a job at North Carolina. In their place came most of the coaches who are leaving now – O’Cain from broadcasting, Sherman from Wake Forest, Newsome from JMU and Torrian Gray from the Chicago Bears.
- 2002: Not a big year in terms of number of coaches coming/going, but an important one. Rickey Bustle, Tech’s offensive coordinator for the previous seven years, left for the head coaching job at Louisiana-Lafayette. Stinespring was promoted to take his place, with Rogers coming on as the quarterbacks coach.
- 1996: The Bud Foster era, as the sole defensive coordinator, gets underway. Co-coordinator Rod Sharpless left for a defensive coordinator/associate head coach position with Rutgers. Beamer promoted Foster, who has played and coached for him at Murray State and was an original member of the Hokies’ staff, coaching linebackers. Eventual Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, then a Hokies assistant, left for a post with Michigan State. The Hokies brought in Charley Wiles from Murray State to coach defensive line and Cavanaugh from North Carolina to coach strong safeties and outside linebackers.
- 1993: The famed first staff overhaul, when Beamer was forced to make sweeping changes after a 2-8-1 season. Long-time Beamer associate Tommy Groom was out (original Beamer hires Larry Creekmore and Duke Strager has been removed the previous year), as was defensive coordinator Mike Clark, who was at first reassigned before joining VMI and later, his long-time home, Bridgewater. Offensively, coordinator Steve Marshall left for an o-line job at Tennessee. Beamer promoted Bustle, who had been the team’s quarterbacks/wide receivers coach since 1987. Phil Elmassian was hired to run the defense … briefly. (He left for Washington in 1995.) Grantham and Sharpless split defensive line duties and Stinespring went from Director of Sports Programs to a full-time coach, handling tight ends and assisting on the o-line for J.B. Grimes, who replaced Marshall.
- 1988: After a 2-9 debut season, Beamer’s staff didn’t stay the same. Ron Zook, his original defensive coordinator in Blacksburg, left for a defensive backs position at Ohio State. Clark took his place. Believe it or not, the Hokies operated without an offensive coordinator that first year (per Hokies historian Chris Colston). Marshall took over those duties in addition to the offensive line.
January 18, 2013 - 12:09 AM
I like these hires. I think Grimes is as important to all of this as Loffler, and he seems to have a good track record as an o-line coach. Trivia question for Andy…..is he related to JB Grimes? There could be some good karma in this whole name thing, I guess we’ll see. Grimes has an excellent record as a recruiter, which is sorely needed as it relates to o-linemen.
Overall, the coaches represent youth with big-conference experience. Looking ahead, Edmunds, Harris and a strong o-line could mean smash-mouth football once again for our Hokies. At the very least, this has the potential to be good, so I am going to look at it with an open mind until proven otherwise.
Will these new people be actual upgrades or just new faces? Just wondering.
Glad to hear about new coaches, Hokies have great athletes in place hopefully 2013 will be exciting!
It has been time for some changes to the coaching staff, and maybe now the changes are here.
Time will tell if the changes are a good move.
Newsome was a terrible coach the entire time he was at Tech, and lots of people could not believe that he was hired to begin with, because it was questionable what he knew to begin with.
O’Cain should have been a better coach based on where he had been, and what he should have known from his experiences.
Sherman was not a good hire either. The only reason for hiring him seemed to be that he had experience in the ACC.
Changes were needed, and now the changes are here. All Hokies hope the changes have a good result for Virginia Tech.
Let’s go Hokies.
A super bowl winning coach, and a NC winning coach! There is nothing that these guys can’t teach these kids about what it takes to win. Plus our defense, good special teams, and a hunger to win. I see a good year ahead GO HOKIES!
How very enlightening this post was. So, apparently, Frank has made changes that were necessary to make his program and vision a reality. So, why the hand wringings over the needed changes, especially on the offensive side of the ball? That was long overdue. Frank apparently had a pattern of hiring outside the “family,” or not, but still, the point remains that Frank made changes. Repeatedly.
Thanks for this post, Andy, it was very enlightening.
Man,I’ve been around the VT program for a long time, but I don’t remember some of those names. In my defense I was overseas a lot at the time, but I had no idea Ron Zook had been a VT coach.
Hard to believe Bud has been the D Coord since 1996. Andy is Bud the longest serving Coordinator in Div I?
Also, how much say should a new Coordinator have in hiring a new staff? Did FB pick the other new guys? I realize it would have been a near impossible dance to negotiate and hire those guys with Loeffler’s approval without him being on board already, but you would think that the coaches who support him are critical to his success.
AB, the lack of information during this whole process has seemed very bizarre to me. Not that anyone deserves specifics, obviously there has to be confidentiality but the last comment I have seen was 12/28 that they wouldnt address staff issues they were just going to enjoy the win. They weren’t kidding.
Don’t you think a couple of general statements about reviewing the program or something would have been warranted? How about a press release that Sherman has left?I have said it before but to me it reeks of arrogance on their part given the interest people have in the situation and the program. Seriously, in your opinion am I off base or in your experience do you agree?
Okay lets go for initials and thier karma. Two heads off./def. is FBBF or BFFB (head coach gets first billing) then it is FBBF. Stands for football becomes Fabulous. Okay you don’t like that how about some more suggestions. Let yawll’s imagination flow. Give some help here.
BFFB Bud Foster’s Favorite Boss
I think it is the norm that all changes are announced at one time. I also think most schools move a little quicker than VT has so the announcements are not drawn out like this has been. I think most head coaches keep a list of potential replacements, maintain friendships and are able to move fast. FB however, liked the family atmosphere and probably had to start from scratch when he was told to do something. Interesting to see how fast O’Cain lost the feeling of family when he tried to throw FB under the bus by claiming he didn’t know his job was in jeopardy.
I would like to see this one put to rest so we can start discussing recruiting, then the positives and negatives of who actually signs, then what’s happening with spring practice. And of course we can all look forward to rantings, ravings and pot stirrings from CR and Barry from the ATL.
I can guarantee you this is not the norm.
I understand the desire by Beamer to want to find soft landing spots for his coaches. He truly feels for them. But by dragging this process out and not even acknowledging that anyone is leaving, all he’s done is made it a headline for an entire month. If you get rid of people on your staff quickly, it’s a headline for a day.
All of these coaches are remembered by me, just as some of the coaches who are leaving will be remembered, but for the lack of ability to coach at the college level.
This change is long overdue, and we have to hope that it is not too late for the changes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtnIzyWSYO8&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Best of Kam Chancellor
Perhaps, they haven’t had a press conference thus far because Jim Weaver is not well or having some sort of medical procedure to treat his Parkinsons.
Have you looked into that Andy? Thanks.
Steve 78 and Andy,
You are both right.
This is not the norm and let’s get to recruiting and spring ball.
Reality is cold.
VT or (VPI&SU) faces Alabama in the 1st game next year. They ought to put this hiring thing to bed and go to work. I remeber in the 1970′s when Alabama was thrasing Tech something like 77-0. I could be wrong on the exact number but the Hokies were getting thumped.
Tech thumped them in the Music City Bowl in like 1998.
We held serve the last time Tech played them but this team is a different breed of cat.
I saw Tech beat LSU in Lane Stadium and I went to LSU and watched Tech get crushed.
They better get to coaching and get on with it.
I don’t really understand the O’Cain thing. Maybe someone can clarify that for me as I just got back to VA from Alaska and I don’t know what is going on.
I think maybe Beamer is doing the right thing by switching Stinespringe’s duties if he actually does it. He has some talent as a recruiter and other things as well.
I still don’t understand that Tech doesn’t run that shovel pass to the full back up the middle anymore. That was a good play.
Please give me your thoughts.
It would seem also that because of a lack of an announcement that the recruiting process is finished for this year. Again, this school is much too slow to make moves!
John,
The score of that game was 77-6, and the QB for VT in that game, Eddie Joyce Jr. just passed away a couple days ago at the age of 59. That was the last game of a 2 for 1 series VT had with Alabama, when VT went to Alabama and lost the first game 14-7, Alabama came to the Burg (the first and only time as far as I know) and won 17-13, and game 3 was the 77-6 at Alabama shellacking which, if I recall, was the end of the Charlie Coffey era at VT.
VT does not match up well, today, with Alabama. Fortunately, the game is late summer….
Andy, I stand corrected, when I started #11 the caffine had not kicked in yet. I wanted to say all firings announced at once and all hirings announced at one time. The total lack of any announcement is certainly not the norm. The process we are going through with VT is certainly confusing. I think FB was not prepared for this and was not going to let anyone go until forced to do so (see 1993), thus the apparent stumbling and bumbling.
I was in Aniston, Alabama for AIT at the time of the 77 to 6 game and listened to it on the Alabama broadcast. It made me wish I was already in Vietnam Nam. Well not really but it was pretty darned bad.
What’s the deal with Drew Harris?
The Alabama game in Blavksburg was 3 to 0. Jerry Claborne was the coach. Bear Bryant said he would never bring a team back to Blacksburg.
Reality check. Improvements may not be instantaneous. Prior to last year’s changes, Tech was consistent but a little short of where most of us wanted them to be. Changes to the staff looked good and will probably pay off long-term but this year the consistency was lost. With more new coaches, it may take a while for results to be translated to the field.
Guy,
Nope, 17-13, just as I remembered.
http://www.hokiesports.com/football/pastschedules.html?season=1969
What does ‘crooked road’ say??? I say this means nothing on its face. Frank is still there at the top. The “Prince of Wales” (or crown prince) is still there like the KBG. ESPN will still not pay VT to play ‘Bama on Labor Day. What age are these new hires? Do they bring new energy which is the single greatest need, or just riding out ’til retirement??
I DO NOT EXPECT ANOTHER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME UNTIL OLE MAN BEAMER IS GONE.
Tech played Ala in 68 score ala 17 vt 13, 69 ala 17 vt 13, 70 ala 51 vt 18, 72 ala 52 vt 13, 73 ala 77 vt 6. only game in burg 69. two in birm. and two in tucca. I was in school at VPI&SU at the time. n 68 tru 73.
I may be mistaken ,but I thought the starting QB for Tech at the time when Tech lost to Bama was 77-6 was Don Strock not Eddie Joyce (Eddie may have been his back up )I also remember Don’s brother Dave got hurt and Don had to punt in that game (the ball went like 10 yards )
Roger,
I didn’t even remember the 70 and 72 games. Good job! Wow, it looks like VT traded, what looks like a 5-1 deal with Bama where they trevelled to Bama 5 times to get them to play in the Burg once?
Weaver would have had a cow over that one!
The 77-6 Alabama loss was in 1973. Strock played from 1970-72 at VT.
The Hokies’ leading passer in 1973 was Rick Popp, although his stats are pretty meager, so there might be somebody else who played quarterback that year. Not sure if he was the one who played in the Bama game.
Andy,
You need to read the RT more often!
http://www.roanoke.com/sports/highschool/wb/319117
Scroll down to near the bottom.
Well, there we go. His stats also explain why he’s not listed as the leading passer that year.
My recollection (VT 73-77 was when I attended) was that EJ got thrust into that game because he was the only healthy QB VT had left. He was a true freshman and it was a disaster.
Having gone to school here at the same time as EJ (73 Northside grad) EJ was a bit of an unusual person. His dad controversially failed him in history so that his son could play 1 more year for Andrew Lewis high. EJ put up some gawdy high school stats, but, he was a great deal older than the kids he was competing against.
When he got to VT, of course, it was a different story. He was no longer a man among boys and his game did not improve with age. I never knew what happened to him after the frosh year at VT, I presumed he flunked out. It wasn’t until his obit that I read he transferred to Louisville where he was also in obscurity.
He was a good athlete, I remember that. He could high jump 6 feet. Sorry to see that he passed away.
I remember the 77-6 game and would have sworn that was the game when Strock had to punt. Obviously not. That did happen in one game though. Fellow named Bruce Ariens was also on the `73 team, I believe.
For all the bloggers who think FB has been slow or the such on replacing the OC, look at http://www.coachingsearch.com. He is reporting that Pep Hamilton has emerged as the leading canidate for the Colts OC job. Looks like we all are just bloggers not college football coach scouts. Maybe Frank really knew what he was doing. Time will tell.
Link to VT-Alabama series history; unfortunately, not pretty for the Hokies, 1-11 vs. Bama. The Music City Bowl win is the only one.
http://www.hokiesports.com/football/opponents.html?opponent=Alabama
#12 nice comment Andy you are exactly right-Lord we agree LOL
Ha! First time for everything, I guess.
Andy: In reply to your remark about the Alabama game in 1973, 77-6 score, I believe I read just yesterday that Eddie Joyce, Jr. was the quarterback of that game. This was stated in the Roanoke Times article about his recent death at age 59.
#35,…yes, that was the first Music City Bowl if I remember correctly. Hokie fans should be encouraged because at least you have beaten the Tide once. The 1998 season featured a real Alabama powerhouse, they beat such greats that season as Louisiana State, Southern Mississippi, Brigham Young, Vanderbilt and of course the always overpowering East Carolina. The good thing for Tech is that they can start preparing now for the biggie game against The Tide. I can’t wait to see what kinds of surprises that the Beamers have for us, can you?
Until this year, the Tide had never beaten Notre Dame.
It means little. VT had never beaten Miami until the 13-7 1995 game which would begin a streak of 5 straight for VT.
I would rather be 1-11 against Bama than have the recent streak UVA has versus VT…..
Andy, any idea what the plans are for Jim Cavanaugh and Billy Hite. Will they remain in the same roles?
In 1969 when Alabama played at Lane Stadium the Tide won the game on a long pass near the goal line, and later scored a touchdown.
It was raining that day, and had rained all night on Friday.
After Alabama scored, Tech had the ball on about the 30 or 35 yard line of Alabama. Tech ran a play off of the left side of the line and there was a huge hole there, I know because I was sitting on that side of the field at that line. Terry Smoot would have scored on the play but because of the wet field he slipped and fell to the ground. Tech did not get the first down and did not score, and the game was lost.
The quarterback for Alabama was Scott Hunter and the receiver was George Ranager. They connected on the long pass.
Tech was to have a good team that year, and if Tech had won that game would have won every game, and all of us as fans knew it.
Tech lost the next four games and won the last five games.
This might have been the last year for Jerry Claiborn, or the next year was his last year.
That was one of the most, and maybe the most disappointing season for a Tech team for me.
Right now, I think Cav and Hite are in the same roles they’ve had.
As for Bama, judging the worth of your program on how it did against Bear Bryant’s teams in the 70′s is probably a futile exercise.
The one thing I remember about the 77-6 game occurred later in the year. Alabama beat Auburn 35-0 that year and soon there were bumper stickers available that said, “At Least Virginia Tech Got 6″. Saw that in my weekly Sports Illustrated.