Has Stinespring Cost Us Bud Foster Too?

Stinespring has cost us a lot this season, as we've seen over at FBS. Has he perhaps cost us one of the greatest defensive minds in the game? I guess we'll find out eventually, but here's my take on it.

If you haven't heard, Bud Foster is a great Defensive Coordinator. In fact, he's one of the best in all of college football. He's always managed to churn out impressive defenses, including this year...I think we rank somewhere around 23rd in the nation, which is a down year for us. Think about that for a second: 23rd is sub-par for Virginia Tech. That speaks volumes about his reputation as a coach and motivator, getting these kids ready to lay the hurt on some unsuspecting offenses. It also seems that every year recently, there are rumors as to where Bud might go if he leaves. Will he stay with us for another year, or leave and go somewhere else? How far will we fall if he does leave? Etc...You get the point. So if you hate hearing that kind of thing, then don't read this article on the subject and stop reading this post now.


Seriously, would you want to piss this guy off?


Still reading? OK, let's analyze this situation: Foster deserves a Head Coaching job. There, I said it, and I think just about everyone will agree with me. He's put in some great years here at VT and for the past few years, helped create the opportunities for VT. How else could we go bowling with the 100th ranked offense or worse? In consecutive years too!! The fact that this season is another offensive downer, that we lost our National Championship chance, that we won't win the ACC or go to the OB, that a 10-win season could elude us for the first time in a little while, means that he may be ready to call it quits with the Hokies. Don't get me wrong, I hope to God Almighty he stays with the Hokies, but the odds keep getting slimmer and slimmer each year the offense doesn't produce. How would you feel if your co-workers or classmates in a group project didn't pull their weight YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR? I imagine that it would be pretty tiring and that if you're going to carry a team on your shoulders, you might as well be the top dog somewhere else and do it. I would want to be, wouldn't you? While he hasn't been named as an interest for the Memphis job, there will be plenty of other coaches being fired this season for lackluster records and poor performances, which is why I think Bud Foster will leave VT within the next two years.

That’s right, I said it. Bud Foster will leave VT in two years or less if things continue to remain stagnant. Where will he go? It’s hard telling right now, but that’s just a gut feeling I’m getting. He’s interviewed in the past for jobs and has turned down offers as well, so what are the odds that the right job comes along in the next two years while the Hokies continue to remain a lower-tier top 25 team? If you said, “Pretty good” then I’m going to agree with you. Our offense is horrendous, starting with the coaching and ending with the coaching. This trend of throwing the kids under the bus really frustrates me, because when you run the same damn play four times in a row and the kid fumbles because he’s being hit by the entire defense five yards behind the line, it’s not entirely his fault (hypothetical situation, but you get my point). What makes a coach think that they aren’t executing? You’re only running maybe 10 different plays in a game, so it’s a little bit harder to gain an advantage when the other team, the team’s fans, the announcers, the mascots, and Tommy know what you’re going to do each down (for those of you who didn’t get it, Tommy was a The Who Rock Musical about a with a deaf, dumb, and blind kid named Tommy. He sure played a mean pinball).

So, maybe, MAYBE if changes are made to reconfigure the coaching staff (read: replace Stinespring) then Foster will stay with us for a couple years, especially if we move from sub-par to elite with a decent offensive scheme and have a shot at a NC. By then Beamer may be considering retirement which would leave the job for Foster or he could hang around like Bowden is at FSU and Foster could still leave VT in the end. Right now, all I can say for certain is that Foster likes Blacksburg and VT football, but not to the point that he would never leave. It could be this year, it could be next, or it could be never if things work out the right way. However, I’m going to stick to my gut feeling and say he leaves in two years or less, citing the fact that he deserves the opportunity to HC and he’s tired of having an inept OC hold him back. I just hope he stays.