Collegiate Times

Despite retaining the quarterbacks coach title, veteran coach Mike O’Cain is taking on a larger role in the Hokies offense.

O’Cain will be taking over the play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring, who will keep the same title.

“Coach Stinespring was the one who decided, and that’s why we ended up going that way,” said head coach Frank Beamer about the change. “When we did this, it was just kind of operating procedure within our football department. I didn’t think it was any big thing to be quite honest.”

In 2010, the Hokies offense under Stinespring was as explosive as it has been during his tenure, setting school records for total yards (5,632) and points (474).

Next season, quarterback Logan Thomas, a 6-foot-6-inch, 242-pound former tight end from Lynchburg, Va., will take over under center. In his two years in Blacksburg, Thomas has undergone a transformation at the position under O’Cain’s guidance, which has Hokie fans excited.

“It’s really not a big deal,” O’Cain said. “I know it’s a story and something everyone wants to hear about and write about, but to us, it’s business as usual.”

Beamer thought the change at quarterback was the perfect opportunity to allow O’Cain to call plays.

“With the change at quarterback, I thought it was a chance to, and I feel this way, that the guy that’s in the quarterback room with those quarterbacks everyday, have that guy be your primary playcaller,” Beamer said.

Stinespring will continue to coach tight ends, as well as the added role of offensive tackles coach.

Current offensive line coach Curt Newsome will coach the centers and guards. The only part of Stinespring’s job that will be changing is the playcalling on game day.

“Every decision you make is what’s best for Virginia Tech football,” Beamer said. “I do believe the more communication that a quarterback and a quarterback coach can have during the week can come in during a certain situation during a game and be helpful.”

O’Cain, who has formed a strong relationship with Thomas, will hold a familiar role for the Hokies this fall. Prior to coming to Blacksburg, O’Cain has made stops at several ACC schools, including a stint as head coach at North Carolina State. He also served as offensive coordinator at North Carolina and Clemson.

As the head coach At NC State, O’Cain led the Wolfpack to a 41-40 record from 1993-99, including three bowl appearances. After a 6-6 record in 1999, Chuck Amato, an NC State alumnus, replaced O’Cain as head coach.

While at NC State, O’Cain recruited and coached several NFL players, including Torry Holt and Adrian Wilson. He also recruited, but never coached, NFL Pro Bowler Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers.

Just recently, the Hokies picked up a commitment from 2012 quarterback TJ Millweard of Fort Worth, Texas. Millweard is a 6-foot-4-inch, 230-pound pro-style quarterback, very similar to Rivers. With Thomas and Millweard, the Hokies could be moving toward a more conventional drop-back system with a power running game.

“You may drop back and throw the ball a little bit more,” O’Cain said. “You may run your quarterback a little bit more because you’ve got a little bit bigger, more physical guy than you had with Tyrod.”

O’Cain is part of the cradle of coaches to have coached at Murray State University, a small school in Kentucky and a member of the Ohio Valley Conference where Beamer began his head coaching career. From 1981-84, O’Cain was on Beamer’s staff as an assistant.

“I’ve known Mike for a long time, but I don’t think it’s a huge difference,” Beamer said. “A lot more goes into it during the week in setting up what you want to call in a certain situation, so a lot of it’s narrowed down.”

Such names as Mike Gottfried (Kansas, Pittsburgh), Ron Zook (Florida, Illinois), Ralph Friedgen (Maryland) and Houston Nutt (Arkansas, Ole Miss) all spent time at Murray State before moving on to bigger coaching jobs.

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A version of this article appeared in the Feb 24 issue of the Collegiate Times.