Just hours after South Carolina’s 26-7 loss to No. 14 Oklahoma, CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford stirred controversy by publishing a report linking Shane Beamer to the head coaching vacancy at Virginia Tech.
According to Crawford, “Multiple sources told CBS Sports this week that Beamer to Virginia Tech is more than speculation — it has legitimacy — and would strengthen if South Carolina’s downturn continued this season. Multiple members of Virginia Tech’s search committee ‘are pushing for Beamer,’ one source said.”
Beamer didn’t hesitate to shoot down the rumors.
“I have no idea where that story came from,” he said during his Sunday teleconference. “I’ve conveyed how many times I want to be here. This is my dream job. I said that when I came here. Nothing has changed.”
Clearly frustrated by both the team’s performance and the speculation, Beamer added:
“I am pissed off at the way we are performing right now and it’s not acceptable. I came here to win a championship and right now we’re not getting it done. My focus right now is getting it fixed.”
Beamer also addressed the rumors directly with his players during Sunday’s team meeting.
“When you’re 3-4, there’s all kinds of noise and chatter and speculation out there about all kinds of things,” he explained. “I wanted to make sure our players understood that I’m not focused on anything but getting this right. And that I’m gonna get it right.”
Given Beamer’s deep Virginia Tech roots — as both an alumnus and the son of legendary coach Frank Beamer — it’s no surprise his name surfaced after the Hokies fired Brent Pry in mid-September. However, the connection seemed far-fetched. Beamer turned down his alma mater for South Carolina back in 2020, has criticized the ACC’s weaker competition and smaller crowds, and remains under a lucrative contract through 2030, earning $8 million per year. Leaving would also cost him a $5 million buyout, while Virginia Tech had only been paying Pry $4.75 million annually.
Still, with South Carolina’s season unraveling and bowl hopes fading, the timing of the report raised questions about Beamer’s long-term outlook. Crawford’s piece suggested that Beamer could be tempted to “reset his coaching clock” elsewhere — in other words, escape before things get worse.
Beamer made it clear that wasn’t the case.
He told his team the article implied he wanted “a parachute or something for me to get out of here and have a soft landing spot.”
Then he doubled down on his commitment: “I’m not happy with where we are right now, and I’m determined to get it fixed. We’re in a storm right now that I’m gonna get us out of.”
