There were a number of tweets earlier today that suggested this was the case, but Cornell Brown has announced on Facebook that he won't be coming back to VT next year.
He's also got an updated personal website which states in the Coaching portion of his bio that his time at VT has ended: http://www.cornellbrown.com/
A lot of people probably underestimate how much Cornell has done for VT, starting with choosing to come to Blacksburg as a top recruit before the success really began... so I wish him all the best in his next spot!
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Not surprising but sad, I believe Beamer cited Cornell as one of the big building blocks of this program when he committed.
Much thanks to Cornell for all he's contributed to VT football as a player and coach. Good luck moving forward.
Mr. Brown has served the Hokies in many ways, and I am sure that he will continue to do so in his next opportunity.
Thanks Cornell!
Sad we will lose good coaches who love the Hokies but it is part of a new coaching program. Thanks to a great Hokie!
God Bless you Cornell Brown and Go Hokies! May you always have clear skies, fair winds and a star to guide you home.
Super awesome guy. He will be picked up somewhere.
On the other side of the palpable excitement regarding the future of the program is the very human element of dismissing current coaches. This is not to say that sentimentality should prevail over a fair evaluation of performance, because it should not, but I wish all of the departing coaches the very best, with thanks for their genuine efforts to succeed at Virginia Tech.
Great sentiment, I hope they all succeed somewhere else.
Hopefully these dismissals will mean that better guys are coming in, at least on the average.
I tweeted that reminder. Changes needed to be made. However, for people to cheer when folks are losing their jobs and their families are being displaced during the holidays... that just isn't cool.
Cornell was definitely a building block for the entire program. Can't forget that. Thanks for everything, coach.
We also have this forever:
This needs to be linked to the Inside Jokes thread
Knew we were bound to lose some guys we're attached to. Hate to see a true Hokie have to leave, but it's the nature of the current process. Thanks for everything as a player and a coach Cornell. Best of luck wherever you land.
Edit: Looked at his coaching timeline on his website. I had no idea he coached for the Frankfurt Galaxy during the 2007 World Bowl. I was at that game. Very cool, but wish I had known at the time.
The only way the Frank Beamer Coaching Tree will grow is if these coaches get out there and make a name for themselves elsewhere. I really hope it happens, because Frank deserves to see his guys succeed in their careers.
Thank you, Cornell, for all you have done. If you ever want to work at a barn, I can provide a solid reference.
How do so many teams, coaches and fans do this every 2-4 years?!?! So many thoughts about the guys who have poured their lives into making the Hokies the team they are today. I know some guys will move on whether because they don't fit the new mold, get better job offers or other things in real life but I don't have to enjoy the sausage making process.
I talked to my good friend who is a Pitt grad about it last week, and it sounds like if the staff was good enough for everyone to like, they wouldn't be let go. Otherwise no one really cares because they weren't around long enough to really do anything. I asked how Pitt manages with a new coach so often and he straight up said there were four years where he didn't even know who the coach was.
I can't imagine the state of emotions around here if this happened every few years.
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Best of luck to you, Cornell, and Thank You
Good luck Mr. Brown. You are a Hokie and that means you'll land on your feet and continue to be successful. Thanks for what you've done for the University, as a player, a coach and a person.
This is horrible. This REALLY hurts. I am deeply saddened and devastated by this. I truly believe this loss hurts our program.
It was after the Northeastern game back in 2006, a game in which we won 38-0. I was in the 3rd grade at the time. My dad and I won a contest on beamerball.com that allowed us to go to Coach Beamer's house after the game and meet the coaches and his family. After Cheryl Beamer blessing my little heart because I had just woken up from a nap in the car and talking to John Ballein about Eddie Royal's turf toe injury, I talked to Cornell.
While I don't remember it very vividly, my dad says to this day that I just peppered him with questions. I asked him about his playing days in Blacksburg, I asked him about playing against Michael Vick in the NFL, and I asked him several other things. My dad apologized to him because of all these questions, but he was completely okay with it.
Three years later in 2009, my dad and I were in Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game against Alabama. We arrived to the Georgia Dome about two hours before kickoff and spotted Cornell. My dad called him over and asked if he remembered me. He did. He then talked to us about Alabama and how he thought the game was going to go.
Cornell is a great guy, and I'm going to miss him on the staff. Thanks for your service, Cornell, and most of all, thanks for putting up with my third grade-self with such humility and class. I will always remember that day.