Beamer, Virginia Tech shop for offensive coaching help

Virginia Tech’s football staff still technically doesn’t have any openings, but that hasn’t stopped the Hokies from seeking new coaches on the offensive side of the ball.

Tech coach Frank Beamer was scheduled to meet Monday with Stanford offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton at the American Football Coaches Association convention in Nashville, Tenn., according to CBSSports.com’s Bruce Feldman.

Beamer and several members of his staff are at the AFCA convention — which doubles as a job fair — through Tuesday night.

Their reported target, the 38-year-old Hamilton, has been rumored to be in Virginia Tech’s sights for some time, although the Hokies have yet to announce any staff departures. Bryan Stinespring, who has held the offensive coordinator post since 2002, remains in that position for now.

A message board favorite already, Hamilton would be a young, energetic choice. The Charlotte native who played college ball at Howard and still has Washington, D.C., ties, has been at Stanford since 2010.

With Hamilton on staff, the Cardinal has been to three straight BCS games, including a 40-12 thrashing of Virginia Tech in the 2011 Orange Bowl.

He initially served as a wide receivers coach under Jim Harbaugh but was elevated to offensive coordinator in 2011 to replace David Shaw, who took over as head coach once Harbaugh left for the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers.

Hamilton coached eventual-No. 1 pick Andrew Luck for one year — his position is now endowed as, no joke, the “Andrew Luck Director of Offense” — and molded McLean native Kevin Hogan into a solid starter this season at quarterback. His run-first offensive philosophy would seem to fit what Virginia Tech likes.

“We want to control the line of scrimmage,” Hamilton told Pac-12 correspondent Bryan D. Fischer prior to Stanford’s 20-14 Rose Bowl victory against Wisconsin. “We consider our offensive linemen to be playmakers. … We’ve got to be able to run the football and that opens up our passing game.”

It’s unclear how serious Hamilton would be about the position. It would be considered a lateral move from Stanford, which should be ranked high in the polls to start next year and is a legitimate threat to repeat as Pac-12 champions.

Hamilton, though, could be in line for a significant pay raise. Stanford, as a private school, doesn’t have to publicly disclose its salary information.

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