The Virginia Tech Hokies are 0-3 after their embarrassing 45-26 home loss against the Old Dominion Monarchs this Saturday. Although this is not the first time they have lost to Monarch, this is considered the worst among them. The fans were not pleased with the direction their program is heading, and showcased their frustrations. As an aftermath of the loss, Virginia Tech fired its HC, Brent Pry, the next day, after 3.5 seasons. In Pry’s era, the Hokies held a 16-24 record, winning only 10 out of the 23 ACC games.

With the search for a replacement underway, speculation quickly turned to a familiar name: Shane Beamer, the current South Carolina head coach and son of legendary Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer. Shane Beamer’s ties to the program run deep he was a walk-on wide receiver in Blacksburg under his father, and for some fans, the idea of his return carried symbolic appeal.

On the latest episode of the McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning podcast, Cole Cubelic and Greg McElroy discussed who could be the next head coach of Virginia Tech. Cole brought Shane Beamer’s name into the debate, to which McElroy replied, “not happening” without hesitation. Cole also shut it down immediately: “I don’t think that if he even offered it and it was intriguing to him,” Cole said. “I don’t think he wants to do that to his dad. #1 He does not want to tinker with his dad’s legacy. It’s not that; he just wanted to carve his own identity. I don’t think he’s interested in that, because he looks at that as his dad’s thing, and he wants to keep it that way. That’s the way I view it.”

McElroy found Cole’s statement perfectly reasonable and found similarity with CJ Carr’s situation. “Like, why did CJ Carr go to Notre Dame and not Michigan?” McElroy explained, “Well, I don’t know. Because both his dad and his granddad and his other granddad all played and or coached at Michigan. You want to forge his own identity. Same deal with Shane Beamer. You don’t have to live in your dad’s shadow, as a 50-year-old man, what’s worse than that.”

For now, the Hokies’ coaching search remains open-ended but if Cubelic and McElroy are right, a Beamer reunion in Blacksburg is not in the cards.

Other Rumored Names for the Hokies HC

Well, there are some other directions the Hokies could go after. Phillip Montgomery, who is serving as the interim head coach of Virginia Tech after Pry’s departure, could be promoted as a full-time head coach. On the other hand, JC Price, who served as Interim HC in 2021, could be another internal choice.

Stepping out of the box, the other potential names could be Alex Golesh of South Florida, Billy Napier of Florida, Bob Chesney of JMU, Scott Lewler of Notre Dame, Michael Vick of Norfolk State Spartans, Lance Leipold of Kansas, and more.

ESPN released the odds for the next HC for Blacksburg, where Jon Gruden is the favorite with +300 odds, followed by Shane Beamer (+400), Justin Wilcox (+500), Ryan Silverfield (+700), Alex Golesh (+800), Will Stein and Jimbo Fisher with (+1000), Charles Huff (+1200), Jon Sumrall and Brian Newberry with (+1400) odds. So, who do you think should join Virginia Tech as the new HC? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.