As noted during the Fall, when Whit Babcock wants things to stay quiet, he manages to make them stay very quiet. While there were (strategic) leaks that Justin Fuente's job was secure through the first half of the year, the sudden silence from sources in the athletic department after the Syracuse game indicated that he wanted things buttoned up - and it wasn't hard to read between the lines at that point. Nonetheless, it's still possible to get a tidbit here and there from Blacksburg - and to chase down those tidbits with our networks around the country. Here's the first edition of the coaching hotboard, for your reference. On a few coaches...
Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson obviously signed an extension with the Deacons this week. That was expected, and the reason that - despite some buzz that he was the top choice - I didn't get too excited about him. I actually think he would have been a very good fit in Blacksburg (though readers didn't necessarily share that opinion). But he also wouldn't have been a game-changer, either. Getting back to "maybe win the Coastal every three or four years" with some guarantee of consistency being a half-level below that in most seasons is not necessarily what the Hokies wanted, and Clawson's ceiling might not be much higher than that (though the floor might have been). A surer-thing or a risk with more potential payoff on the high end is what Babcock is seeking.
I'm also told that Marshall head coach Charles Huff and South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer are less likely at this stage. Both guys are in their first years at new stops - the first head-coaching stop for each - and the success on-field is not strong enough to outweigh the downsides (PR and otherwise) of yanking a guy with that little time to settle into his current stop. In Huff's case, VT doesn't want to sour relationships with Marshall and become something of a "we're the big guy in the region, deal with it" reputation, if it carries a risk of Huff not working out anyway. In Beamer's case, there's definitely a thought that the 44-year old may very well be an option at his alma mater down the road if he continues to prove himself as a headman. If you don't hire him now, it's not like the opportunity is gone forever in his case. Both these guys will remain on the updated hotboard when it drops in a couple days, but they aren't the hot names.
Ii do think Billy Napier at UL-Lafayette remains the top choice. He's also going to be a hot option for a bunch of high-level teams searching for coaches, so... we'll see if he's a realistic one when the time comes.
With TCU hiring Sonny Dykes, a name for the Hokies isn't off the board (VT was not gonna go after the outgoing SMU man after that type of hire didn't pay off in Fuente), but it does provide a bit of clarity as to who will be available around the country. TCU may well have been a competitor for some coaches... while Dyke may have been an option for a few of the other programs - particularly in Big 12 and Pac-12 territories - who are still on the hunt.
One name you can cross ofd the list: Hugh Freeze at Liberty. I begrudgingly listed him in the first edition of the hotboard (with a few caveats about the caliber of person and rule-follower he is). I'm told that VT was not interested in reaching out to his camp, but his people tried to get in touch with the Hokies and were totally rebuffed. A guy like him - and the inevitable NCAA sanctions - is just not what Babcock wants at this point, and it's unlikely Power-5 jobs are likely for Freeze going forward, unless he successfully rehabs his image for a few more seasons (or someone, particularly in the SEC, gets extremely desperate).
I haven't heard too many realistic rumblings about this one yet, but I actually think recently-fired Louisiana Tech coach Skip Holtz would be a pretty good fit with Virginia Tech. A guy who's fired from a mid-major is not typically a hot candidate, but frankly LTU was stupid to fire a guy with his history of success just because of two rough year (both pandemic-affected) when he'd been the only guy to bring consistent success to Ruston. Holtz has a history of success at East Carolina - and a spottier record at USF before heading to LTU - and could be a "stability" option. At 57, a "stability option" who competes for Coastal titles for a few years while some longer-term options like Shane Beamer prove themselves? Might not be the worst idea, even if it doesn't get the base jazzed.
A similar option - right down to the ECU connection - is one who continues to be in touch with Babcock, though it doesn't sound like conversations have gotten that serious: ECU coach Mike Houston (who was on the initial coaching hotboard). Though he comes from a mid-major and has only had middling results, he'd come in and get the Hokies back into "lock for the top half of the Coastal" status, with the potential to compete for a title every so often. There have also been feelers (though through more-extended intermediaries) with Coastal Carolina headman Jamey Chadwell. One concern there? He seems intent on keeping his coaching staff together - as he's done at previous stops - whereas VT is looking for a coach who's willing to be flexible and go outside his own coaching tree in search of the best-available staff in Blacksburg.
That's the buzz on a few coaches, and the absence of any particular guy doesn't mean he isn't a candidate, just that the updates haven't flowed over the past several days. Stay tuned for more scoop as the coaching search continues. It should get even more interesting as these guys - and potentially some others - as the regular season draws to a close and the hiring portion of the hiring-and-firing carousel kicks into another gear.
Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson obviously signed an extension with the Deacons this week. That was expected, and the reason that - despite some buzz that he was the top choice - I didn't get too excited about him. I actually think he would have been a very good fit in Blacksburg (though readers didn't necessarily share that opinion). But he also wouldn't have been a game-changer, either. Getting back to "maybe win the Coastal every three or four years" with some guarantee of consistency being a half-level below that in most seasons is not necessarily what the Hokies wanted, and Clawson's ceiling might not be much higher than that (though the floor might have been). A surer-thing or a risk with more potential payoff on the high end is what Babcock is seeking.
I'm also told that Marshall head coach Charles Huff and South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer are less likely at this stage. Both guys are in their first years at new stops - the first head-coaching stop for each - and the success on-field is not strong enough to outweigh the downsides (PR and otherwise) of yanking a guy with that little time to settle into his current stop. In Huff's case, VT doesn't want to sour relationships with Marshall and become something of a "we're the big guy in the region, deal with it" reputation, if it carries a risk of Huff not working out anyway. In Beamer's case, there's definitely a thought that the 44-year old may very well be an option at his alma mater down the road if he continues to prove himself as a headman. If you don't hire him now, it's not like the opportunity is gone forever in his case. Both these guys will remain on the updated hotboard when it drops in a couple days, but they aren't the hot names.
Ii do think Billy Napier at UL-Lafayette remains the top choice. He's also going to be a hot option for a bunch of high-level teams searching for coaches, so... we'll see if he's a realistic one when the time comes.
With TCU hiring Sonny Dykes, a name for the Hokies isn't off the board (VT was not gonna go after the outgoing SMU man after that type of hire didn't pay off in Fuente), but it does provide a bit of clarity as to who will be available around the country. TCU may well have been a competitor for some coaches... while Dyke may have been an option for a few of the other programs - particularly in Big 12 and Pac-12 territories - who are still on the hunt.
One name you can cross ofd the list: Hugh Freeze at Liberty. I begrudgingly listed him in the first edition of the hotboard (with a few caveats about the caliber of person and rule-follower he is). I'm told that VT was not interested in reaching out to his camp, but his people tried to get in touch with the Hokies and were totally rebuffed. A guy like him - and the inevitable NCAA sanctions - is just not what Babcock wants at this point, and it's unlikely Power-5 jobs are likely for Freeze going forward, unless he successfully rehabs his image for a few more seasons (or someone, particularly in the SEC, gets extremely desperate).
I haven't heard too many realistic rumblings about this one yet, but I actually think recently-fired Louisiana Tech coach Skip Holtz would be a pretty good fit with Virginia Tech. A guy who's fired from a mid-major is not typically a hot candidate, but frankly LTU was stupid to fire a guy with his history of success just because of two rough year (both pandemic-affected) when he'd been the only guy to bring consistent success to Ruston. Holtz has a history of success at East Carolina - and a spottier record at USF before heading to LTU - and could be a "stability" option. At 57, a "stability option" who competes for Coastal titles for a few years while some longer-term options like Shane Beamer prove themselves? Might not be the worst idea, even if it doesn't get the base jazzed.
A similar option - right down to the ECU connection - is one who continues to be in touch with Babcock, though it doesn't sound like conversations have gotten that serious: ECU coach Mike Houston (who was on the initial coaching hotboard). Though he comes from a mid-major and has only had middling results, he'd come in and get the Hokies back into "lock for the top half of the Coastal" status, with the potential to compete for a title every so often. There have also been feelers (though through more-extended intermediaries) with Coastal Carolina headman Jamey Chadwell. One concern there? He seems intent on keeping his coaching staff together - as he's done at previous stops - whereas VT is looking for a coach who's willing to be flexible and go outside his own coaching tree in search of the best-available staff in Blacksburg.
That's the buzz on a few coaches, and the absence of any particular guy doesn't mean he isn't a candidate, just that the updates haven't flowed over the past several days. Stay tuned for more scoop as the coaching search continues. It should get even more interesting as these guys - and potentially some others - as the regular season draws to a close and the hiring portion of the hiring-and-firing carousel kicks into another gear.
