For nearly three decades, Virginia Tech was a model of consistency under the direction of head coach Frank Beamer. The veteran head coach took a dreadful program and put the work in to follow through on a master plan to build Virginia Tech’s football program into one of the best programs found on the east coast. Finishing in the top 25 became the norm for the Hokies, as did competing for conference championships in the Big East and the ACC.
But in the final four years of the Beamer Era, it was becoming clear the Hokies were stuck in neutral and could benefit from a spark. Justin Fuente, a hot rising coach who had developed quite the offensive flair at Memphis was available at the best possible time for Virginia Tech. After just one year on the job, Fuente has earned himself a little more job security in the form of a contract extension for two additional years.
Virginia Tech announced the contract extension on Monday, thus locking in Fuente with the Hokies through the 2023 season. Fuente was originally signed through the 2021 season. In addition to two more seasons, Fuente will also get a slight bump in pay by earning up to $4 million by the 2023 season as currently constructed, according to The Daily Press. Bumping Fuente’s pay is essential and deserved even after just one season with the program. Virginia Tech may never be a big spender the way programs like Alabama and Ohio State and Michigan may be, but the Hokies invest wisely. Giving a slight raise to Fuente along with some extra job security was an easy decision.
“Coach Fuente has exceeded our expectations in terms of how well he and his staff have embraced the winning tradition established by Coach Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech, while adding their own distinct touches to enhance the legacy of our program,” Virginia Tech Director of Athletics Whit Babcock said in a released statement.
In Fuente’s first year in Blacksburg, Virginia Tech busted out of their mediocre run of four consecutive seven- and eight-win seasons to cracking the double-digit mark in the win total and earning a trip to the ACC Championship Game. It was in the ACC Championship Game the Hokies ran into a bit of a buzzsaw in the form of Deshaun Watson and the eventual College Football Playoff champions from Clemson, but Fuente’s Hokies pushed Clemson far more than Ohio State did in the Fiesta Bowl playoff semifinal. Virginia Tech made Clemson sweat out the final minutes of a 42-35 victory in the ACC Championship Game. Even in defeat, it became pretty clear that Virginia Tech’s offense was nothing to ignore.
Justin Fuente’s most important hire? Bud Foster, of course
Part of the reason for the instant success for Fuente in Blacksburg has been who has joined him on his staff. Keeping Bud Foster on the staff as defensive coordinator helped put Fuente ahead of the curve and provide for a relatively seemless transition. Keeping Foster in tow will be key as well, but Foster has not shown much desire to leave the program. That’s terrific news for Fuente. This may be Fuente’s program to run now, but having a veteran within the program, and one who is highly respected outside of it, served Fuente and Virgina Tech well.
“I’m also indebted to our coaching staff and support personnel for their continued loyalty and dedication,” Fuente said in a released statement. “Our student-athletes know how invested our staff is in the success of our team and in helping them achieve their personal goals in the classroom, in life, and on the football field. I’m excited that we’ll continue the work that we’ve begun at Virginia Tech for many years to come.”
Was everything perfect for Virginia Tech in 2016? Of course not. They dug some holes at times, but they managed to dig out of them against Notre Dame and again in Arkansas in the Belk Bowl. The kind of grit and determination needed to do that starts with the head coach keeping control of the ship. If the coach doesn’t waver, the players will tend to rally. Rally they did in the Belk Bowl.
What’s next?
The bar has been set to an old, familiar benchmark for Virginia Tech. Regularly competing for the ACC Coastal Division is to be expected in Blacksburg, and nothing else should be considered a success. In a division with Miami potentially ready to make a return, North Carolina in the mix and Pittsburgh proving to be a potential threat, winning the division is far from a given for Virginia Tech. It is, however, an attainable goal, as is winning the ACC.
Given the instant success witnessed in 2016, it was an easy decision to make to do anything possible to make Fuente feel a little more secure about his position at Virginia Tech. With his offensive mindset and Foster’s signature defensive prowess, Virgina Tech is already on its way to building a regular contender in the ACC. There is still ground to makeup in order to go head-to-head with Clemson or Florida State more often than not, but the Hokies took more steps in 2016 than many may have predicted, myself included.
What was supposed to take a year or two to figure out on offense took just two games. Once the Hokies got into conference play last season, Virginia Tech scored no fewer than 34 points in all but three games the rest of the season.
However, Fuente still has some work to do to make everybody happy. On the day Virginia Tech announced the contract extension, it was reported three players would be leaving the program, including one who was thought to be a key addition to Fuente’s first recruiting class at Virginia Tech. But players come and go. They always have, and they always will. But Fuente is in a position to stick around for quite some time.
