Frank Beamer's Contract Extension Could Make Bud Foster a Rich(er) Man

Virginia Tech announced head coach Frank Beamer's contract will be extended through Dec. 31, 2016, prior to its open scrimmage Saturday. It extends Beamer's contract by four years, meaning he'll have coached Virginia Tech for 30 seasons and be 70 when it expires.

Whether or not this is Beamer's last contract extension is up for debate. But one thing is does is ensure that Bud Foster won't be the Hokies' head coach before his annuity kicks in after the 2014 season. Foster will receive an annuity of $800,000 if he is still Virginia Tech's offensive  defensive coordinator at that time.

The goal of the annuity, agreed to in December, was to keep Foster from taking the Georgia defensive coordinator job, or any other defensive coordinator job for that matter. As long as Foster is a DC, he will be the DC in Blacksburg.

But what if Foster wants to be a head coach? It doesn't look like his first HC job will be in Blacksburg now. If Foster decides to wait for Beamer's extension to expire and possibly become Tech's next head coach, he'll be 57 years old. And what if Beamer decides he's not done coaching then? Foster will be well past the prime age that most assistants get hired to be head coaches.

Some day, Foster will no longer be patrolling the Hokies' sidelines with his trademark scowl as Tech's DC. With Beamer's new contract extension, I think that day may be sooner than later. Foster wants to be a head coach and if he decides to wait for Beamer to retire, he may not get his chance.

Merv Johnson never got his chance. Jerry Sandusky never got his. Beamer's new deal may make Foster a rich man if he stays around to collect his annuity, but it may also mean he'll be a lifetime assistant.