In quest to save his job, Hokies' Justin Fuente a 17-point underdog

[meangreen11]

Indeed, the pessimism surrounding the program is rampant. Tech (3-4, 1-2 ACC) is sliding toward its third losing season in four years, an outcome that almost certainly would end Justin Fuente’s head-coaching tenure in Blacksburg, a tenure that began so auspiciously in 2016 with the ACC Coastal Division title.

The prevailing question now isn’t whether the 2021 Hokies can win the Coastal but whether Fuente can earn a seventh season leading the program.

With sports gambling all the rage, let’s assess his plight in handicapping parlance: He’s a 17-point underdog.

Perhaps that’s a harsh portrayal of a coach with a 41-30 record. But big whistles are, and should be, judged on far more subtle facets than overall wins and losses.

What are the trend lines? Are you recruiting well? How is your game and roster management?

read more:  https://richmond.com/sports/college/teel-in-quest-to-save-his-job-hokies-justin-fuente-a-17-point-underdog/article_20fe580d-5807-53af-82e6-ac2181650181.html

[southsideguy]

3-4 and he going to be fired, 1-6 and ours back next. year.

Seth is still number 2 on the hot seat list,  I guess Frost needs to get some wins.

Edited October 27, 2021 by southsideguy

[TreeFiddy]

Good luck Justin!  not really.

[MeanGreenTexan]

Gotta think this guy is underlined and circled on Wren's short list, right? 

[UNT Texas Hooligan]

4 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Gotta think this guy is underlined and circled on Wren's short list, right? 

Let's see how our future coach handles adversity 😆

[MeanGreenTexan]

Heck, if we could get Thomsen (after Norvell is fired at FSU) as OL & AHC, and Fuente, we'd have quite the reunion of ADs & coaches!
Wren Assoc. AD @ Memphis when Fuente was there.
Mosley AD @ ACU when Thomsen was there.

[TheReal_jayD]

My money Justin is the next coach of UNT.

[TheColonyEagle]

6 minutes ago, TheReal_jayD said:

My money Justin is the next coach of UNT.

When do season tickets go on sale

[MeanGreenTexan]

12 minutes ago, TheReal_jayD said:

My money Justin is the next coach of UNT.

[NTPoonKing]

Re: Fuente....Guys if this happens, make no mistake--it is a home run hire.

Need to root for VT to lose.

Unlikely SL will return, baring a minor miracle.

*Transfer Portal needs to be hit hard, no matter who is the coach next year.

[TheColonyEagle]

Just now, NTPoonKing said:

*Transfer Portal needs to be hit hard, no matter who is the coach next year.

It HAS to

[MeanGreenTexan]

Y'all know who Fuente's OC was while at Memphis, right?

Let's just get the whole dang gang back together!

[All About UNT]

https://247sports.com/Article/College-football-coaching-search-news-rumos-Justin-Fuente-Virginia-Tech-173963178/

[BillySee58]

Glad to see everyone on here so receptive. Would love Fuente, but I know we’d also see a lot of “do we really want a guy who just got fired?” or “if he couldn’t succeed with Va Tech’s resources are we he can make it work with ours?”

[Wag Tag]

6 minutes ago, BillySee58 said:

Glad to see everyone on here so receptive. Would love Fuente, but I know we’d also see a lot of “do we really want a guy who just got fired?” or “if he couldn’t succeed with Va Tech’s resources are we he can make it work with ours?”

I would also take a good look at Todd Graham. His winning % is great and much of it was achieved at Rice and Tulsa. 

[BigWillie]

19 minutes ago, BillySee58 said:

Glad to see everyone on here so receptive. Would love Fuente, but I know we’d also see a lot of “do we really want a guy who just got fired?” or “if he couldn’t succeed with Va Tech’s resources are we he can make it work with ours?”

I think I would fall into this camp unfortunately. Maybe it would work out, but I would feel like we are getting scraps. That is only one side of the coin though.

[UNTLifer]

29 minutes ago, Wag Tag said:

I would also take a good look at Todd Graham. His winning % is great and much of it was achieved at Rice and Tulsa. 

I just can't get onboard with Graham.  Fuente is a maybe.

[All About UNT]

50 minutes ago, BillySee58 said:

Glad to see everyone on here so receptive. Would love Fuente, but I know we’d also see a lot of “do we really want a guy who just got fired?” or “if he couldn’t succeed with Va Tech’s resources are we he can make it work with ours?”

My thing is the QB roster management... 

2016 he brings in Jerod Evans from Trinity Valley who breaks all sorts of QB records... then declares for the draft and goes UDFA instead of taking his senior year.

2017's heir apparent Josh Jackson lights it up too but then bounces to the Terps after being asked to compete for the starting job after being injured the next year.  Of course he does barely anything at Maryland

2018 Kansas transfer Ryan Willis takes over and has a 28 touchdowns on the year.. good start.

2019 Willis regresses a bit and Hendon Hooker gets the nod.  Has a great start with 18 total TDs and 2 INTs

2020 Hooker starts again and Va Tech plays just 7 games (he was out for 2). With a 3-4 record on the year they lost 3 games by a total of 14 points. 

2021 Hooker transfers to Tenn for his graduate year and is currently lighting it up 17 TDs in the air and 2 INTs and another 4 TDs on the ground. Burmeister is the VA Tech Qb and has the weakest stat line since Fuente has been there.

that is a ton of turnover at the starting QB position.  The talent has certainly been there (until this year anyway).

[TheReal_jayD]

41 minutes ago, BigWillie said:

I think I would fall into this camp unfortunately. Maybe it would work out, but I would feel like we are getting scraps. That is only one side of the coin though.

Sonny Dykes was scraps, Skip Holtz was scraps. Fuente took the worst team at the time in C-USA and built them into potential the next addition to the Big 12. I think the move to VT was not a smart move on his part. Just like the move to Cal wasn't smart on Dykes part, or the move to USF for Holtz. But the coaches that are able to learn from there previous mistakes usually turn into the best coaches. Fuente trying to replace a legend was a horrible move. Just like who tries to replace Patterson at TCU.

[BillySee58]

40 minutes ago, BigWillie said:

I think I would fall into this camp unfortunately. Maybe it would work out, but I would feel like we are getting scraps. That is only one side of the coin though.

Very few coaches go their entire career without getting fired. And even some of those guys who do are kind of encouraged towards retirement to avoid firing a legend. We would’ve taken Justin Fuente out of Memphis or Scott Frost out of UCF in a heartbeat. Now just a few years later they’re considered scraps?

Anyone we hire is going to be scrutinized for their resume. Whether they’ve been fired previously, only have success below the G5 level, have won at the G5 level but never graduated to the P5 level, or don’t have any D1 HC experience at all. The new coach is an almost 100% certainty to fit one of those molds. 

[BillySee58]

4 minutes ago, All About UNT said:

My thing is the QB roster management... 

2016 he brings in Jerod Evans from Trinity Valley who breaks all sorts of QB records... then declares for the draft and goes UDFA instead of taking his senior year.

2017's heir apparent Josh Jackson lights it up too but then bounces to the Terps after being asked to compete for the starting job after being injured the next year.  Of course he does barely anything at Maryland

2018 Kansas transfer Ryan Willis takes over and has a 28 touchdowns on the year.. good start.

2019 Willis regresses a bit and Hendon Hooker gets the nod.  Has a great start with 18 total TDs and 2 INTs

2020 Hooker starts again and Va Tech plays just 7 games (he was out for 2). With a 3-4 record on the year they lost 3 games by a total of 14 points. 

2021 Hooker transfers to Tenn for his graduate year and is currently lighting it up 17 TDs in the air and 2 INTs and another 4 TDs on the ground. Burmeister is the VA Tech Qb and has the weakest stat line since Fuente has been there.

that is a ton of turnover at the starting QB position.  The talent has certainly been there (until this year anyway).

This is a lot more valid than just saying “I don’t like that he was fired from his previous HC role.”

[MeanGreenTexan]

35 minutes ago, BillySee58 said:

Glad to see everyone on here so receptive. Would love Fuente, but I know we’d also see a lot of “do we really want a guy who just got fired?” or “if he couldn’t succeed with Va Tech’s resources are we he can make it work with ours?”

I think I'd probably be one that would fall in that camp if Fuente hadn't done what he did at Memphis.    Memphis is a lot more like NT than VATech.    Also, Fuente is a long way from home over there, and I think a change of scenery back in Texas might do his heart some good, especially working with Baker, and being back in contact with Texas Football recruits.   There are a lot of positives with him as long as he's not a different coach, beaten down by losing these last 2 seasons at VATech like what happened to a once-fiery Littrell.

I also think the addition of Fuente might open up opportunities to schedule the Horned Frogs, which would be awesome.

Of course, Fuente could turn the ship around and finish out this easier back end of their schedule to get to 8-4.  He's already beaten UNC (ranked #10 at the time) and hung tough with Notre Dame before falling late.  The only real bad loss is against what's turning out to be a VERY GOOD Pitt team.

He's getting grilled by the fan base (sounding much like us)...  fans chant "fire Fuente" as Virginia Tech loses to Syracuse.
and could you imagine Brett Vito writing an article titled, In quest to save his job, Mean Green's Seth Littrell a 17-point underdog?!  He'd lose his parking pass for sure!  🤣

[ADLER]

2 hours ago, All About UNT said:

My thing is the QB roster management... 

2016 he brings in Jerod Evans from Trinity Valley who breaks all sorts of QB records... then declares for the draft and goes UDFA instead of taking his senior year.

2017's heir apparent Josh Jackson lights it up too but then bounces to the Terps after being asked to compete for the starting job after being injured the next year.  Of course he does barely anything at Maryland

2018 Kansas transfer Ryan Willis takes over and has a 28 touchdowns on the year.. good start.

2019 Willis regresses a bit and Hendon Hooker gets the nod.  Has a great start with 18 total TDs and 2 INTs

2020 Hooker starts again and Va Tech plays just 7 games (he was out for 2). With a 3-4 record on the year they lost 3 games by a total of 14 points. 

2021 Hooker transfers to Tenn for his graduate year and is currently lighting it up 17 TDs in the air and 2 INTs and another 4 TDs on the ground. Burmeister is the VA Tech Qb and has the weakest stat line since Fuente has been there.

that is a ton of turnover at the starting QB position.  The talent has certainly been there (until this year anyway).

You've just shown me a coach that can fight through adversity, and you didn't even mention that his starting quarterback this year was lost for the season prior to their recent Syracuse game. 

Fuente is looking better with every article and post I read about him.

Funny thing is that there's no way in Hades that we'd have a shot at hiring him if all that crap didn't happen.

That is, if there is a coaching change at North Texas.

Edited October 28, 2021 by ADLER

[UNTLifer]

21 hours ago, All About UNT said:

My thing is the QB roster management... 

2016 he brings in Jerod Evans from Trinity Valley who breaks all sorts of QB records... then declares for the draft and goes UDFA instead of taking his senior year.

2017's heir apparent Josh Jackson lights it up too but then bounces to the Terps after being asked to compete for the starting job after being injured the next year.  Of course he does barely anything at Maryland

2018 Kansas transfer Ryan Willis takes over and has a 28 touchdowns on the year.. good start.

2019 Willis regresses a bit and Hendon Hooker gets the nod.  Has a great start with 18 total TDs and 2 INTs

2020 Hooker starts again and Va Tech plays just 7 games (he was out for 2). With a 3-4 record on the year they lost 3 games by a total of 14 points. 

2021 Hooker transfers to Tenn for his graduate year and is currently lighting it up 17 TDs in the air and 2 INTs and another 4 TDs on the ground. Burmeister is the VA Tech Qb and has the weakest stat line since Fuente has been there.

that is a ton of turnover at the starting QB position.  The talent has certainly been there (until this year anyway).

Does this fall on Fuente's management or the QB's deciding to transfer?

[NorthTexasSportsNetwork]

On 10/27/2021 at 3:43 PM, TheReal_jayD said:

My money Justin is the next coach of UNT.

100% I’m on board and have heard he could possibly be on a list? He’s on mine!