Shane Beamer asked about Virginia Tech opening. Here’s what he said
For the second time in four years, Virginia Tech is searching for a new head football coach. The school fired coach Brent Pry on Sunday, a day after the Hokies lost 45-26 to Old Dominion to fall to 0-3 on the season.
The first of those losses came to South Carolina in Atlanta, when the Gamecocks scored a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to win 24-11.
Of course, Sunday’s news fired up the rumor mill. And it should be no surprise that the easiest name to include on a candidate list is a Beamer.
Virginia Tech has fell of its national pedestal since hall-of-fame coach Frank Beamer retired in 2015, wrapping a 29-year tenure in Blacksburg that included 238 wins and 23 straight bowl appearances.
So would his son ever follow in his footsteps?
Would Shane Beamer ever decide to leave South Carolina for the school he played for, the school that houses a statue of his father? He was asked about his possible interest Sunday afternoon during his weekly teleconference.
“I think the week of the Virginia Tech game, I told everyone how I feel about South Carolina and my love for this place,” he said. “That’s where my focus is at right now, just getting our football team better.”
If folks from Virginia Tech inquired about Beamer’s interest, it would not be the first time. Back in 2020, before he took the South Carolina gig, he was contacted by folks affiliated with the school. If he was interested, they said, they would speak to the athletic director on his behalf.
“I was gung-ho on South Carolina,” he told The State in May. “That was the only place I wanted to be.”
Asked in August if there was a moment when he thought his son might become head coach at Virginia Tech, Frank Beamer paused for a few seconds.
“No,” he told The State. “I mean, I didn’t know. But you know, he’s always loved South Carolina. … I think it’s a school that he really had dreamed of going back to. And so, you know, everything has a way of working out.”
Also, it should be known. Pry was making $4.75 million this season at Virginia Tech. Beamer is earning $8.15 million from South Carolina. And he also has a $5 million contract buyout.
“I hate it for Brent,” Shane Beamer said Sunday. “He’s somebody that I’ve known since I was in college and have a lot of respect for. Days like this in the coaching profession suck because that’s a good man with a family that’s got daughters about the age of my daughters. I know how hard losing is on your family, seeing that right now with mine, but it’s different when a guy you know loses his job. I feel for Brent, the people that I know on that staff and hate that the decision was made.”
This story was originally published September 14, 2025 at 5:35 PM.
