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When the Virginia Tech football team walked off the field following a 6-3 overtime loss to Wake Forest, major coaching changes looked inevitable. Fast forward to 2015, following victories to close out the season over in-state rival Virginia and a bowl win against Cincinnati, and the Hokies appear to be content with their current staff.
Injuries took a major toll on Tech in 2014, yet both head coach Frank Beamer and athletic director Whit Babcock seem confident this was the primary reason for the disappointing season. The program is taking a big gamble by bringing back offensive coordinator Scott Loeffler to the ire of many Hokie fans. Loeffler has yet to prove he can consistently win at a major program, but it will not take long to see if there is significant progress, as Ohio State visits Blacksburg on Sept. 7.
Babcock has reassured Hokie Nation about his belief in the program by maintaining patience with this young football team and staff. The Hokies should return all their running backs, quarterbacks and wide receivers to complement a defense that loses very little and returns injured cornerback Brandon Facyson as well as defensive end Luther Maddy.
Outside of losing out on five-star recruit Josh Sweat, recruiting has been solid heading into signing day. The poor year is not deterring recruits, as the Hokies received verbal commits from four-star prospects Tim Settle and Dwayne Lawson this past weekend. They already welcomed seven signees to campus this semester in hopes of speeding up the football maturation process.
Virginia Tech did the safe thing by keeping together a staff that appeared to lack cohesion most of this season. Despite the vote of confidence, it is certain that expectations will be through the roof next year, as Tech attempts to regain the swagger they had during the first decade of this century.
