BY DARRYL SLATER
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

Don’t expect to see Virginia Tech designate defensive coordinator Bud Foster as its future head coach any time soon.

Tech Athletic Director Jim Weaver said yesterday that he spoke to head coach Frank Beamer and Tech president Charles Steger about the idea, and they reached a consensus agreement that it wouldn’t work unless Beamer was within a year or two of retiring. He has given no indication of wanting to retire.

“I personally think that concept can work and help continuity of recruiting when there’s a one- or two-year term involved, when it’s known that somebody’s gonna be retiring,” Weaver said. “But that’s not the case in our situation. Too many things can change over time. And we’re not inclined to go beyond a one- or two-year period.”

Beamer, who turned 62 in October, is in his 22nd season as Tech’s head coach. He has five years remaining on his contract after this season, Weaver said.

Weaver last month began researching a coach-in-waiting plan after Texas designated defensive coordinator Will Muschamp as the eventual successor to Mack Brown, 57.

Foster, who has been Tech’s defensive coordinator since 1995, has long expressed his to desire to become a head coach. He is regarded as one of the nation’s top assistants. From 2004-07, the Hokies finished in the top four nationally in total and scoring defense. Last month Foster interviewed for the head coaching job at Clemson, which instead hired interim head coach Dabo Swinney.

Weaver spoke with Texas Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds about the coach-in-waiting plan. Weaver had previously spoken with Randy Spetman, the athletic director at Florida State, which last year named offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher as the eventual successor to Bobby Bowden, who turned 79 last month.

Purdue also used the plan, designating Eastern Kentucky coach Danny Hope as Joe Tiller’s replacement when it hired Hope as associate head coach before this season. Tiller, 66, retired after this season and Hope took over.

Beamer indicated last month on his radio show that he might not be in favor of a coach-in-waiting scenario at Tech. “To me, it makes it a little bit of an awkward situation,” he said.

When asked if Beamer believes that such a plan could work when he gets one or two years away from retirement, Weaver said that when he spoke to Beamer, they “just talked about the concept” of the plan.

“I can tell you that the president and I are on the same page,” Weaver said. “I haven’t had as extensive a conversation with Frank as I did with the president.”

As for Weaver’s assertion that he doesn’t want to designate a head coach in waiting right now because too many things can change over time, he said, “I don’t want to get into all those things. I don’t know what those things are, necessarily. We’re not inclined to go beyond a one- or a two-year period. That’s just the bottom line. We’re not gonna do it.“

Athletic Director Jim Weaver would be willing to do it only when head coach Frank Beamer is within a year or two of retiring