Virginia Tech announced Thursday defensive coordinator Bud Foster will receive $800,000 if he's still the Hokies' defensive coordinator through 2014. That's almost as much as SB Nation will pay me if I'm still blogging here after the 2014 season. What's that? That didn't actually happen? It was just a dream? Well then, moving on.
Foster's deal is by no means a head-coach-in-waiting agreement, mainly because I seriously doubt Frank Beamer will retire after 2014. I have no insight into the inner feelings of the man, but my guess is Beamer will retire when he's 70ish, so probably after the 2016 or 2017 season. I don't think he'll stick around as long as Joe Pa or Papa Bowden, but he won't leave Blacksburg until he's good and ready.
The deal is good for all parties involved. The annuity makes it unlikely that another school will be able to come up with enough cheddar for Foster to make a lateral move, but it still leaves him room to get a head coaching job if it's offered somewhere. But unless I missed something, Foster hasn't been asked to interview anywhere in a year where there was more coaching uproar than I can remember previously.
Does Foster think Virginia Tech now represents his best chance to be a head coach? I don't know, but I think he deserves a shot somewhere else before the Hokies' head job comes open. His window to be a viable coaching prospect is closing and I think he should jump at the next opportunity to prove himself as a head coach and not just wait around for Beamer to retire. Plus, I'd feel a lot more comfortable with Foster taking over the reigns of the program if he cut his teeth somewhere else first.
We'll see what others have to say about the deal after the jump.
Bud Foster's Annuity
Terms of Bud Foster agreement announced (Nathan "Tommie Frazier" Warters)
"If he leaves for any job prior to the end of the 2014 season, he would not receive any part of this deferred package. According to a written release, the only other qualification to the 2014 date is if Frank Beamer resigns or does not continue in his position as the Hokies head coach, Foster will receive the deferred compensation with the effective date of Beamer’s departure."
VT releases the details of Bud Foster’s financial agreement (Darryl Slater)
"This agreement is designed to make sure, as Weaver said, that if Foster is going to be a defensive coordinator, he’ll have that job at Tech. If Foster happens to get a head-coaching offer that he likes, it seems unlikely that this deal would keep him in Blacksburg. Just theorizing here, but if Foster gets offered one of the major-conference jobs he wants, almost all of those schools will pay their coach more than $800,000 a year."
Details of Foster's annuity released (Randy King)
"So how much did it cost Virginia Tech to keep football defensive coordinator Bud Foster in the fold? Try $800,000. That's the price tag of the five-year annuity addendum to Foster's current contract that was struck Dec. 15 after the Hokies' longtime assistant coach had received a reported $700,000 offer from Georgia to take its coordinator's position."
Foster's take on his contract situation (Annette)
"Virginia Tech fans always get so wrapped up in keeping Foster happy that sometimes it seems they take for granted that they already have one of -- if not the best -- coach in the conference. This contract should assure the Hokies there's no need to rush anything. The only offer that would lure Foster away would be the right head coaching opportunity at the BCS level, and if he sticks around long enough to get paid his annuity, he might not have to look much further to find that."
ACC Football
Wheel in the Sky (The A-Line)
"It took Skippy a good thirty seconds to decide that Tampa was the place for him and after a Kiffin-esque meeting with his ECU players that consisted mostly of ‘I’m finally outta here’ Skippy was off to the local airport and the plane he kept idling for new job interviews on a 24/7 basis."
2009 Unsung Hokie Heroes: Offense (Fight for Old DC)
"Render was the kind of guy that didn't seek the limelight during his five years in Blacksburg, but he was definitely one of the best lineman to ever wear the Maroon and Orange. Sergio's specialty was run blocking, and he certainly paved the way for Ryan Williams to have an EXTREMELY successful freshman season."
Herzlich Returns to Practice and the Big Finish (BC Interruption)
Jeff and Brian take time away from celebrating Brian's birthday at Olive Garden: "It’s still too early to tell whether he will be ready to go for the season opener against Weber State, but I certainly wouldn’t bet against it. Say Herzlich can return to the starting lineup to play with senior Mike Morrissey and Luke Kuechly in the linebacking corps. Going into next season, BC easily has the best, most fearsome set of starting linebackers in the ACC, no?"
Closing The Book On The 2009 Florida State Defense (Tomahawk Nation)
"FSU's defense was not only the worst since ACC expansion, it is 10% worse than any ACC defense since 2004 (we do not have records of conference, only statistics from before 2004). This unit was worse than the defenses Duke fielded in 2004 or 2005 or 2006. And this defense posted that embarrassing mark without the "help" of facing the conference's best offense."
ACC expansion revisited (From Old Virginia)
"But what if Mark Warner had never shoved his nose into the process? Or if Casteen had told him to go piss up a rope and leave the governing of the university to him? Or if Duke and UNC hadn't been Nay votes? Let's take a hypothetical look at what the ACC's, and UVA's, fortunes might have been with Syracuse and without Virginia Tech."
ACC Basketball
Gani Lawal and Zach Peacock's development over the years (From The Rumble Seat)
"In typical Bird fashion, I had to check the numbers to see if my thoughts were validated. I specifically wanted to see 2008/2009 numbers compared to 2009/2010 numbers because the play by both Lawal and Peacock are sticking in my mind this season. I took a look at yearly points scored, free throw percentage and rebounds for both players."
The ACC is As Open As It'll Ever Be (Testudo Times)
"Okay, we called it earlier, but this league is hella wide open. Duke, supposed to be the best team in the conference by far, just fell to North Carolina State and seem entirely incapable of winning on the road - 0-3 in other teams' arenas. They sit at 3-2, far from in control of the conference a third of the way through. North Carolina, traditionally the only team able to challenge the Dukies, is in the hole right now, hovering at 1-3."
Comparing the 2008-09 and 2009-10 Demon Deacons (Blogger So Dear)
"Coming into this season, the noticeable difference was glaring: no James Johnson and no Jeff Teague. Slotting in their spots were a pair of freshmen--a guard and a forward who were similarly under-recruited in high school. So at this point in the season, January 21, where does this year's team compare to a year ago?"
Basketball thoughts 5 Games into the ACC Schedule (Shakin The Southland)
"Clemson's play has been up and down to this point, hitting on all cylinders against an overrated UNC team, scoring a mere 12 points in a half against Duke, giving up a huge second half lead against the Wolfpack, and not being able to convert on opportunities in the GT game. All in all, I think Clemson has some issues that definitely need to ironing out but still think double digit wins in-conference is attainable."
Rough Play and Chas McFarland (Carolina March)
"So the play's gotten rougher, and will continue that way until fouls are called. Which will generate more complaints from crowds, as long as you're calling them against the home team. It's worth noting that UNC is one of the softer playing teams in college basketball this season, both by observation, and statistically – the Heels are second only to Mississippi State in opponents' free throws attempted vs. field goals attempted. Carolina just doesn't foul."