In the annual spinning of the head coaching carousel, Bud Foster‘s name has consistently been bandied about although he’s never pulled the trigger on a move up the coaching ladder. In fact, the closest he may have come to leaving Virginia Tech would’ve amounted to a lateral move.
Texas A&M embarked on a search for a new defensive coordinator immediately after the end of the 2014 regular season, ultimately pilfering John Chavis away from LSU to fill the void created by the firing of Mark Snyder. While the name most connected to the job was Will Muschamp -- he ultimately took the Auburn job -- it was Foster who was, in his words, in daily contact with A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin throughout December.
“The rumors were there, but they were real,” Foster said according to the Roanoke Times. “It was probably as close as I’ve ever been to leaving this place. ...
“It was intriguing with Kevin. His notoriety as an offensive guy and putting offensive points on the board and those kind of things and being able to get the type of athletes they can get at Texas A&M, it was an intriguing option at the end of the day.”
Foster’s wife even signed off on the prospective move to College Station, something she hadn’t done in the past when other opportunities popped up. In the end, Foster stayed with the Hokies, even agreeing to a new five-year contract in late December.
Foster, who has been on Frank Beamer‘s staff since 1987 and been the coordinator since 1993, is widely viewed as the likely successor to the 68-year-old Beamer when he decides to hang up his coaching whistle.