FRANK BEAMER

Age:  62

School:  Virginia Tech

Alma Mater:  Virginia Tech, 1969

Conference:  ACC

Salary:  $2,100,000

Official Bio:   www.hokiesports.com

Years Coaching:  27

Career Record:  209 - 108 - 4  .648

Years at School:  21

Record at Virginia Tech:  167 - 65 - 2  .657

2007 Record:  11 - 3   .786

2007 Cost per Win:  $182,545

Attorney/Agent:   Jimmy Sexton

Contract: 

December 2008 Buyout:  $8,032,000

Coaches Hot Seat Analysis

In the past 15 years Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech has proved himself to be one of the top college football coaches in the country, but in his first six years in Blacksburg Beamer was anything but one of the of the best.  Beamer arrived at Virginia Tech in 1987 from Murray State, succeeding Bill Dooley who had a relatively successful career at Va. Tech posting a

63-38-1 (.618) over 9 years.  In Frank Beamer's first six years at Virginia Tech he posted

24-34-2 (.400), which raises all kinds of questions like how he ever survived putting up that kind of record to what did Beamer's bosses see in him that caused them to stick with Beamer for so long.  Since those first six miserable seasons, Beamer has put up a record of 143-31 (.822) in the last 15 seasons, which puts him right at the top of the game of college football.  However Beamer made it through his first six years at Virginia Tech, he has certainly built a terrific football program in Blacksburg and he has the Hokies on a run of at least 10 wins in 7 of the last 9 years.  One of the most interesting and revealing things about coaches and their teams is to watch how a team warms up during pre-game activities.  If you watch enough teams you will find some that don't seem that organized, some that are loose, but focused, and then their are teams like Beamer's Hokies that look like they are warming up to go to battle.  It would be very entertaining to draw up a list of the top 25 team's pre-game warm-ups, and one would find teams like Pete Carroll's Trojans who match their head coach's personality and are loose but ready for a fight, Bob Stoops Oklahoma team that looks like the disciplined and focused approach of their head coach, and then teams like Beamer's that know they are there to play a football game and that the pre-game warm-ups exist to get ready to do just that.  The great ABC sportscaster Keith Jackson was once asked what was his favorite part of a football game and he responded (paraphrased from memory), "Being down on the field during pre-game warm-ups when both teams are girding for battle."  Keith Jackson is right, and if you ever got to see Keith Jackson on the field before the game talking with school officials, saying hello to fans, getting a good look at both teams, and watching the fans and bands enter the stadium, you could sense the importance of the impending game and the looming battle.

Frank Beamer has built a great football program at Virginia Tech, but there are still things to be achieved for Beamer in Blacksburg.  There is still a National Championship to be won, a more consistent level of play against highly-ranked teams, and an even stronger football program at Va. Tech into the future that can be handed successfully over to his eventual successor.  With the ACC in a state of flux, with 6 head coaches in either their first or second year at their school, 2008 provides a great opportunity for the Hokies to extend their presence in the conference.  Here is how we see the 2008 season playing out:

Coaches Hot Seat Bottom Line

We predict that Frank Beamer and Virginia Tech will have a 12-0 record in 2008.  The 2008 season for Virginia Tech opens up with an interesting game in Charlotte, NC against Conference USA foe East Carolina.  Skip Holtz and the Pirates are coming off a successful '07 season (8-5) including a bowl game win over Boise State, and this should be a very good game for the Hokies to open up their '08 campaign.  This should be a close game for about a half until Va. Tech overwhelms East Carolina with their depth and talent, so a Hokie win in game one runs their record to 1-0.  In week 2 Furman visits Blacksburg, which should be an easy win for Va. Tech, so the Hokies are 2-0 after two games.  Week 3 opens up the ACC season with Paul Johnson bringing his Georgia Tech team to Blacksburg.  This should be the first of several great games between Paul Johnson and Frank Beamer, and we see the home-field and talent level on the Hokies side getting them the win.  After three games, Va. Tech is 3-0.  Week 4 brings a trip to Chapel Hill to play second year head coach Butch Davis' North Carolina team.  UNC was very competitive in several games in '07, and this should be a great ACC game with Va. Tech getting the win in the 4th quarter.  After four games, Va. Tech is 4-0.  Week 5 is a great intersectional match-up with Virginia Tech traveling to Lincoln, Nebraska to play the Huskers.  Bo Pelini will have his team up for this game and the Nebraska fans will be chomping at the bit for the first big win of the Pelini era.  In what should be a very competitive game, the Hokies will have a little too much talent for the Huskers in year 1 of the Pelini era, and they will come a way with a big win over the Huskers.  After five games, Va. Tech is 5-0.  Newly minted I-A team Western Kentucky travels to Blacksburg in week 6, and the Hokies have way to much talent to lose this game.  After six games, Va. Tech is 6-0.  In 2007 Boston College stole a game from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, and the Hokies will have not forgotten that game when they travel to Chestnut Hill to play BC in week 7.  Boston College will be in rebuilding mode in 2008, and the Hokies will be looking to keep their unbeaten season going, and a win over BC takes the Va. Tech record to 7-0.  If Virginia Tech can get to 7-0, the October 25 game on the road at FSU will be a huge obstacle to an unbeaten regular season.  We have to think that Jimbo Fisher will have the Seminoles offense playing better by week 8 of his 2nd year on the job, so this should be a very close game, but we see the Hokies coming out with the win in Tallahassee.  After eight games, Va. Tech is 8-0.  Maryland comes calling on Va. Tech in week 9 and the Hokies will be on a huge high as the Terps arrive in town.  This could be a trap game for the Va. Tech if they are not focused, but we think they will be focused and get a win over Maryland, which runs the Va. Tech record to 9-0.  Week 10 will be the second of two big trips to Florida to play key ACC games, as Va. Tech travels to Miami to play the Hurricanes.  Randy Shannon should have Miami playing better in week 10 of his second year on the job, and though this game will be close in the 2nd half, we see Va. Tech getting the win.  After ten games, Va. Tech is 10-0.  David Cutcliffe arrives in Blacksburg with his Blue Devils in week 11 and although we will be very interested to see how Duke will be playing by this time in the season, Va. Tech has way too many horses to lose this game.  After eleven games, Va. Tech is 11-0.  If Virginia Tech does get to 11-0 then the November 29 game in Blacksburg against cross-state rival Virginia will be one of the biggest games in years for the Hokies.  The Virginia Tech fans will be going crazy to not only complete a perfect season, but also to beat the Cavaliers, and in what should be a very entertaining game, we see Va. Tech getting the win to run their regular season record to 12-0.

If Virginia Tech does go 12-0 and win the ACC Coastal Division, we see them playing Wake Forest in the ACC Championship Game, in what should be a great title game match-up. 

2008 Coaches Hot Seat Prediction:       12-0

Will Frank Beamer be back for the 2009 season?      YES