Hokies' Recruits, Commits Call Beamer's Retirement "Shocking" Yet "Understandable"

The news of the seismic change coming for the Virginia Tech football program rippled out on a sleepy, unassuming Sunday afternoon.

Indeed, as word about Frank Beamer's plan to retire at season's end spread across the country, one high schooler committed to play for the Hokies felt the news awaken him almost like a bad dream.

"I was taking a nap and my father called me about five times and I didn't wake up until the fifth call," said 2016 CB Myles Wolfolk of Upper Marlboro, Md.'s Wise HS. "I answered and he told me and I was like 'woah,' it just kind of hit me by surprise. It was shocking."

Wolfolk admits that he knew the 69-year-old Beamer was no spring chicken — he simply hoped Beamer would hang on long enough to coach him someday.

"I didn't think it would come this year," Wolfolk said. "I knew he couldn't coach forever, so I knew it would come one day, I just really didn't think it would happen after this year, so it was kind of a surprise and I just was shocked."

That seems to be the prevailing feeling among recruits and commits alike as they confront the reality that Beamer won't be stalking the sidelines next season.

"I was a little bit disappointed, I'm not gonna lie, but it was going to happen at some point," said 2016 OT and Tech commit Patrick Kearns of Rome, Ga.'s Darlington School. "I mean, his coaching career's come to an end, so it's understandable."

But recruits wouldn't have to go long pondering what Beamer's retirement meant for their future at the school before the Hokies started reaching out. Wolfolk and Kearns both say they heard from Athletic Director Whit Babcock Sunday afternoon, as he did his best to reassure them about the program's future.

"With me being an early enrollee, they wanted to reach out to me and make sure that I'm not tripping out, going crazy over this situation," Wolfolk said. "They wanted to reach out to me and let me know that they should have a new coach coming in, not very soon, but soon enough before I get there (in January), so I should have a chance to meet him."

Kearns said he didn't hear quite the same message from the AD, but believes it was reassuring nonetheless.

"He just wanted to tell me that they still wanted me and everything's going to be alright at Tech, and I'm sure it will," Kearns said. "He's got a great record of hiring really good coaches, so we'll see who he gets."

2016 LB Victor Greene of Spotsylvania's Courtland HS, another Tech commit, said he also heard from Babcock about the news, and he noted the AD did his best to be realistic about the effects of Beamer's departure.

"He just was informing me that he thinks more schools will get in contact with me," Greene said.

Babcock wasn't the only one working the phones, however. Wolfolk said he heard from both DBs coach Torrian Gray and Chuck Cantor, director of player personnel, in the wake of Beamer's announcement.

"It was a similar message, just that everybody's sad to see Beamer leaving, and they just want me to keep my head straight, they don't want me to panic over this situation," Wolfolk said.

2016 CB Troy Pride, a Hokies commit out of Greer (S.C.) HS, says he's also heard from both Gray and Babcock about the changes coming.

Pride previously admitted that Gray's status with the school would likely affect his commitment to Tech, and, with recent visits to high profile schools like Notre Dame and Tennessee, it's clear he has other options on the table. Yet Gray wasn't offer to much clarity about the future in their initial conversations.

"He says he can't say 100 percent," Pride said. "But if he's there, he wants me there as well."

Kearns took the opposite approach, taking the initiative to reach out to his potential future position coach.

"I also called Coach (Stacy) Searels and talked with him and he said 'be patient' and 'we'll see what happens,' that's really about all I've got right now," Kearns said.

Kearns said he trusts that Searels will "keep me updated" on the process in the coming weeks, a clear sign of his tight bond with the coach who grew up not far from his hometown.

"I'm still 100 percent committed to Virginia Tech right now, the only thing that would only make me question it a little bit is if the whole staff leaves, my position coach primarily," Kearns said. "But I still think there's a really good chance I wind up a Hokie...the one thing that would make me question a little bit is if my position coach, Coach Searels, was no longer on it, which hopefully that won't happen, but we'll see."

Wolfolk has a similar view when it comes to his commitment, particularly as it relates to Gray and defensive coordinator Bud Foster.

"It would be hard for me because those three, Coach Foster, Coach Gray and Coach Beamer, were a big part of my decision in committing to Virginia Tech," Wolfolk said. "If they leave, depending on who the next coach will be, it would be hard for me be able to stay 100 percent committed because I would definitely have to like look at other schools if they were gone."

When Gray and Babcock reached out, Wolfolk said he did his best to be up front with them, telling them "I am going to look at my options, just in case anything goes bad."

His list of potential suitors increased by one in the wake of Beamer's departure, as the Wisconsin Badgers decided to extend him an offer on Monday.

"I'm very grateful for it, and it's good to know that schools are still interested in me and that I'll be a big impact player for other schools," Wolfolk said. "it's good to know that other schools still reach out to me after I'd already committed and after this whole situation, it's just nice to know, reassurance, I guess."

Wolfolk held offers from schools like Clemson, Kentucky, N.C. State and UNC before he committed to Tech last year, and he admits that "Wisconsin would definitely be a good look for me and so would a lot of other schools," but nothing is set in stone just yet.

"Right now, I just want to do my research and talk to my family, make sure I'm making the right decision," Wolfolk said. "We're also waiting for the coaching situation at Virginia Tech, what's going to happen, is Bud Foster gonna get the job, is Coach Gray gonna stay, we'll just wait and see what's going on before we make any decisions."

Greene agrees that he's anxious to see who the Hokies end up hiring, but Beamer's departure affects his commitment "in a way" but "not much, though."

"I hope the new coach would have similarities to Coach Beamer," Greene said. "Preferably (they'll promote someone on the staff) because I wouldn't meet the new coach until I got there and I have chemistry already with the coaches on the staff."

But for all his concerns about the future composition of the staff, Kearns says he's content to leave the decision in others' hands.

"That's not my decision," Kearns said. "I trust Mr. Babcock to make the best decision."

Of course, Beamer's departure and the selection of a new head coach affect more than just the team's current commits — the team is still trying to reel in several prominent 2016 prospects that now have to weigh the program's merits sans the only Hokies head coach they've ever known.

"My reaction was shocked because he's been in the coaching business a long, long time," said 2016 DE Zack Gilbert of Charlotte, N.C.'s South Mecklenburg HS. "(I was) hoping he still had enough time for me."

But in the change, Gilbert sees both disappointment and potential.

"I think the program is gonna take off and make big time changes, just like Pitt did," Gilbert said.

The favorable comparison to Pat Narduzzi's surging squad comes as good news for the Hokies, considering that Gilbert's commitment will likely come down to either Pitt or Tech.

Gilbert said both Cantor and DL coach Charley Wiles have reached out to him to try and keep him in the fold so far, and he said their description of the program's future "looks bright and it looks good."

Those two recently got a chance to press their case to Gilbert in person when he made his official visit for the Duke game, but soon he'll give Narduzzi and the Panthers the chance to do the same.

He was originally planning on taking an official visit for Pitt's game against Notre Dame this weekend, but the SAT forced him to change up — now, he expects to take the trip on Nov. 21 for the Louisville game.

In the meantime, he hopes to hear from Foster and Beamer themselves for more information.

2016 DE Nick Coe of Asheboro (N.C.) HS is also looking for more guidance on the program's future as he contemplates the head Hokie's exit.

"It was upsetting because I would've liked to have played for Frank Beamer," Coe said. "Now it's still OK, but it's not gonna be the same."

As of Monday night, Coe said he had yet to hear from anyone on Tech's staff about the change. The last time he spoke with anyone from the Hokies came before the news broke, after a knee injury he suffered last Friday forced him to reschedule his planned official visit to Florida State this weekend (which has since been rescheduled for Nov. 14).

"I talked to Coach Wiles a little on Twitter about my knee, and I just told him how it went out of place and came back in," Coe said.

Though Coe reacted with consternation to the news of Beamer's departure itself, he remains unsure how it will ultimately factor into his decision.

"It doesn't really affect it," Coe said. "Kind of, it's weird. It's complicated."

2016 DE Patrick Jones of Chesapeake's Grassfield HS remains similarly unfazed by the change.

"I didn't really have any reaction, I was just curious to see who would be next," Jones said.

Jones said he's been talking frequently with recruiting coordinator (and area recruiter) Bryan Stinespring about what exactly the future might hold, even if details remain murky.

"I talked to Coach Stinespring (Sunday) night and (Monday)," Jones said. "He was just saying that they're all gonna be there still and that I'm still they're top guy that they want to get up there."

Like Gilbert, Jones is fresh off hearing that message from Tech's staff in the flesh. He also took his official visit for the Duke weekend, an experience he called "really good" overall, and he heard Stinespring and Wiles talk plenty about why he should become a Hokie.

"They just said they thought I was a really talented guy and they needed to keep in-state talent in state and that I'd be a perfect fit for Virginia Tech," Jones said.

Freshman LB Tremaine Edmunds hosted Jones for the visit, and he said the youngest Edmunds helped him explore the area.

"We just hung a lot on campus and then went downtown for a little bit," Jones said. "It was really nice."

He also heard from RB DeShawn McClease, another player from the "757" who was able to offer some advice about the coaches that ended up being more prescient than the freshman likely intended.

"He pretty much told me that whatever the coaches are saying, that's what they really mean," Jones said.

But going forward, Jones insists that neither his recent experience at Tech, nor the news of the impending coaching change have him ready to make any proclamations about his recruitment just yet.

"I'm just trying to keep all my options open," Jones said.

Among Jones' options are both N.C. State and Pitt, and he plans to take official visits to each program on Nov. 21 and Nov. 27, respectively, before committing in time to enroll early in January.

But while Jones and Gilbert have likely made their last visits to Tech before finalizing their college plans, many of the others still have plans to return.

Pride hopes to visit again as soon as this Friday, after initially planning to come to the UNC game.

Coe has long planned an official visit for Tech on Jan. 21, and he says that remains his goal. In a perfect world, he hopes that the team will have a new coach by then to allow him to make a more informed decision.

Wolfolk is also "still trying to set up" his own official visit, preferably once his own football schedule wraps up by the winter months.

Because he's still unsure of the timing, he's equally unsure whether that visit will take place by the time Babcock installs a new head coach.

"If he was there, then of course (it would be about) meeting him, getting to know him, how he likes me, how he likes my family and how I'll fit in with his play style," Wolfolk said. "If he's not there, then just seeing how I'll be able to live at Virginia Tech for my next four years."

Kearns is also trying to set up an official visit in the same time frame, targeting the weekend of Dec. 12 for his Tech trip.

However, he's also eyeing a visit in the more immediate future.

"The plan is to go to the UNC game, my family and I think we'll do it," Kearns said. "It just depends on travel time, if it's a noon game or a night game, it depends on which one it is if we can go or not."

Greene also plans to be in attendance for Beamer's Lane Stadium send off, with an official visit to come sometime in November, and he can't wait to see the atmosphere for the head coach's final home game.

"I think the atmosphere will be crazy, knowing the Hokies' crowd," Greene said.

Kearns thinks that sounds about right, even though the whole affair will have a melancholy tinge.

"It's going to be electric," Kearns said. "I'm sure everybody is going to want to be there for his last game and hopefully they can send him out in the right way, they can win out and win a bowl. He's a legend, and I'm sorry he's leaving, but I completely understand."

Wolfolk says he'll feel the loss more acutely as he grapples with the fact that Beamer's departure is no dream, but rather a stark new reality for all involved with Tech football.

"I was very excited to go into Beamer Ball, everybody talks about this tradition, telling me about it, it sounds very fun," Wolfolk said. "He was a real cool, fun guy and I just wish I could've seen him in action."