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Brother Fuente takes VT top spot
Justin Fuente (Oklahoma) was recently hired to take over Virginia Tech’s football program after a successful three year stint at the University of Memphis. Fuente found the starting quarterback gig as an undergrad on occasion while at Oklahoma, but found the most success after transferring to Murray State when he won the Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
How he got here: News of Fuente’s hiring at Virginia Tech actually broke Nov. 28, during the final Saturday of the regular season, as Fuente’s Memphis team was busy throttling SMU 63-0 while Virginia Tech was extending its season by beating rival Virginia. The coaching search got underway earlier than most, as Hokies coach Frank Beamer graciously announced his intentions Nov. 1 to retire after the season. From there, athletic director Whit Babcock went after — and got — his man.
Where was he? Fuente, 39, was the head coach at Memphis for four seasons, going 26-23 overall. Most impressive of all, Fuente went 19-6 with the Tigers during his final two seasons, including a 10-3 mark in 2014 that featured a share of the American Athletic Conference title, the school’s first league title in 43 years. The 10 victories were the program’s most since 1938, and Memphis finished 25th in both polls. Before Memphis, Fuente was an assistant at TCU for five years (2007-11) and at Illinois State for six years (2001-06).
What does he bring? “Beamerball” might be getting a makeover in Blacksburg. Fuente’s expertise comes on the offensive side of the ball — particularly at quarterback. A former college QB himself at Oklahoma and Murray State, Fuente was instrumental in the development of future Pro Bowler Andy Dalton at TCU, which capped a perfect 2010 season with a Rose Bowl win. At Memphis, Fuente turned the under-recruited, 6-foot-7 Paxton Lynch into one of the nation’s elite passers, as Lynch threw for 3,776 yards with 28 touchdowns and just four picks this season. Fittingly, Fuente’s finale was Lynch’s best work: Lynch threw seven TD passes in the first half against SMU, tying an FBS record for a half. Hokies fans need not worry about straying too far from their roots, however: Fuente has kept three of Beamer’s defensive assistants on his staff. (Via ESPN)
We’ll continue to follow Brother Fuente’s career this fall when the College Football season begins again.
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