The Tech Lunch Pail is excited to announce the launch of the new TLP Insider subscription. Sign up for an account and get the best news, inside scoops, and analysis on the Hokies! Learn more

Hokies Football: 2015 is a Make or Break Season for Scot Loeffler

After the 2012 season, Frank Beamer and the Virginia Tech Hokies decided to do an offensive staff makeover that started with firing two offensive assistants and reassigning Bryan Stinespring from offensive coordinator to TEs coach. During that offseason, the Hokies hired Scot Loeffler to be the offensive coordinator, Aaron Moorehead to be the WRs Coach, and Jeff Grimes to be the OL Coach. Grimes and Moorehead both did fairly well, but left one and two years after their hirings respectively with Virginia Tech getting solid replacements in Stacy Searels and Zohn Burden. However, Loeffler has not been able to get the Virginia Tech offense going as a whole in his two years in Blacksburg. In 2013, Loeffler's offense was quite bad as the Hokies ranked 103rd in yards per game and 101st in points per game. Loeffler's offense only rose slightly in 2014 with a new quarterback as the Hokies ranked 99th in yards per game and 94th in points per game. For a power 5 conference program, these numbers are atrocious but the fact that he made slight progress with a very young offense along with recruiting well at the quarterback spot has given him a third season. Scot Loeffler will have the same quarterback and most of the same receivers this fall along with an improved offensive line and a healthy group of running backs to work with. Loeffler's offensive playbook should also be larger now that Michael Brewer has had a full year in the Virginia Tech offense. The pressure is on Loeffler, but another minor improvement will also be unacceptable for the Hokies. The Hokies need to make a significant improvement on offense to become a top 50 offense in the country to go with a defense that should be one of the top two or three in the nation. Loeffler and his offensive coaches have done a great job of retooling the Hokies at the skill positions, but it's time for the pieces to start coming together. Loeffler has plenty of prestige as a quarterbacks coach for guys like Tom Brady and Tim Tebow, but Loeffler has only had one good season as an offensive coordinator in his one year at Temple. If Loeffler had a better reputation, the pressure would not nearly be as high on him, but two disappointing seasons have Hokie fans desperate to see significant offensive improvement this season. If Virginia Tech's offense struggles early, the calls to fire Loeffler will get very loud very quickly among fans and many analysts. Whit Babcock will also not tolerate another rough season on offense as Loeffler seems certain to be fired if his offense doesn't get to at least the top half of the nation in yards and points per game. Babcock wants excellence, and definitely will be ready to make a change at that spot if Loeffler doesn't get the job done. Scot Loeffler is in a make or break season in 2015, and the Virginia Tech offense must improve a lot for him to keep his job.
You must login in order to comment on this post.
Loading Indicator