Collegiate Times

Jeff Beyer

Jeff Beyer is a workhorse. You have to be when you're in his position.

Beyer is currently buried in the depth chart at the quarterback position behind Tyrod Taylor, Sean Glennon, Cory Holt, and Grant Throckmorton. In Beyer's case, the question is not when he will see playing time, but if he will ever.

That's not to say the sophomore just sits on the bench for four quarters on Saturday watching the fans in the crowd. Beyer is in the unique situation of being able to contribute to the team from the sidelines.

Most of the time when the offense is on the field, Beyer can be seen standing next to head coach Frank Beamer with a headset on, listening to the coordinator upstairs in the booth, and motioning the next play to the active quarterback on the field.

That's right, on the field, before the ball is snapped, the process begins with Beyer. It's quite a thrill for a guy who walked on to the team at the beginning of last season.

"It feels nice to contribute in any way that I can," said Beyer. "Any way to help the team be successful is fine with me."

They way he came about receiving the play-calling duties is quite a story. Beyer began running the scout team offense during his freshman year. When he was not on the field, Beyer was able to get enough experience standing next to Beamer and watching the plays being called to the point of where he began to memorize them.

Coach Beamer took advantage of this and got Beyer to call plays in practice. Beyer did a well enough job that he then began doing the play-calling in games. The engineering science and mechanics major has impressed his coaches with his intelligence and keen memory.

"He's such a smart young man," said offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring of Beyer, a native of Fairfax and graduate of W.T. Woodson High School. "He understands the signals very well. He's extremely intelligent and serious about his job. Those two attributes right there makes him the guy who we need to do it."

Beyer, who did not even come to Virginia Tech with the initial intention of playing football, never rules out the possibility of seeing playing time in a regular season game during his collegiate career.

"Maybe not this year or next year but as Corey (Holt) and (Grant) Throckmorton graduate, there might be a time," said the optimistic Beyer, who is currently the main quarterback used on the scout team. "Corey got in against William & Mary this season so maybe that could be me in a couple years. I've got to always hope there's a chance. If it doesn't come, it doesn't come. But if it does, I'll be ready."

Beyer has shown that he's ready by continually giving it his all in practice. To the coaches, he is another valuable resource for the team's weekly preparations for the weekend's game.

He can be seen taking snaps against the first team defense and throwing to receivers who are at Tech on scholarships. To them and to everyone else on the team, he is just another contributor.

"Sometimes the biggest contributors probably don't get their share of the limelight but they're still important," said Stinespring. "He's the quarterback on our scout team, signals in our plays, and is able to do it in a timely fashion and in a rhythm that our quarterback is very comfortable with. He's very important."

Even if the chance to play never comes, Beyer is still living a young man's dream. Thirty years down the road, he can break out his bowl rings and say he was, at one time, a part of one of the top college football programs in the country. He can also say that he played a significant role in practice and on the sidelines on Saturdays to help the Hokies win.