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Justin Fuente - first 3 years, Odom comparison, MU connex
Posted on: December 21, 2018 at 12:27:40 CT
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Fuente leveraged the turnaround at Memphis into the Virginia Tech job, succeeding the legendary Frank Beamer. Fuente had hired Odom away from MU as his DC and it was Odom's success at Memphis that brought him back to Columbia and also put his name in contention for the Memphis job left open by Fuente's ascension to Virginia Tech.
Fuente took Virginia Tech to the ACC Championship Game in his first year and was named the ACC Coach of the Year after his 10-4 debut. Fuente inherited a solid program built over 29 years by Beamer who essentially launched the program as an independent in 1987 and led them into the Big East and then the ACC. Beamer's run at Va Tech was remarkable - it took 2 understandable years to get the program's feat underneath it in Big East play but after that Beamer put together 23 straight winning seasons including 8 straight years of at least 10 wins.
Remarkable.
I don't think there's any argument that Fuente took over a better situation at Va Tech than did Odom at MU: a historically strong program in a weaker conference than the SEC with very strong fan and booster support.
Va Tech's AD Whit Babcock, who mentored under Mike Alden at MU, signed Fuente to a contract extension after the 2016 season, securing Fuente through the 2023 season (contract will escalate to $4 million in the last year).
Fuente followed that 10-4 season with a 9-4 campaign ending with a 30-21 loss to.... Oklahoma State. Still, Va Tech was ranked 21 in the final AP poll.
Entering this 2018 season as the AP 20th ranked team, Va Tech rose to the AP #12 team before getting handled by Notre Dame and then, after squeaking by a weak North Carolina team, losing 4 straight to Ga Tech, BC, Pitt, and Miami. Fuente needed 2 wins against Virginia and Marshall to get back to bowl eligibility at 6-6.
Heading into his 4th year at Va Tech (and 8th as a Head Coach), Fuente is "officially" on the Hot Seat, at #9 according to one of my favorite fun sites coacheshotseat.com -- one spot ahead of...Mike Gundy.
Fuente and Va Tech needs a win in the Military Bowl over a motivated 10-2 Cincinnati (bouncing back in the 2nd year of a rebuild under rising star Luke Fickell) to avoid Va Tech's first losing season in ... holy crap ... 25 years?
The Military Bowl is a nice appetizer at 11 a.m. on ESPN before our game at 2:45.
Anyway it's all fun but my goodness how quickly do fortunes shift in college football head coaching? We'll get to see one time can't-miss-hot-name-now-on-the-hot-seat Fuente against one of the newest can't-miss-hot-names Luke Fickell (longtime Ohio State player then assistant) before new-contract Odom takes on hot-seat Mike Gundy.
Odom and his mentor going in different directions? Two schools in MU and Va Tech with shared AD history. An Ok State team playing both MU and Va Tech in bowls back to back.
Fun stuff.
Fuente took Virginia Tech to the ACC Championship Game in his first year and was named the ACC Coach of the Year after his 10-4 debut. Fuente inherited a solid program built over 29 years by Beamer who essentially launched the program as an independent in 1987 and led them into the Big East and then the ACC. Beamer's run at Va Tech was remarkable - it took 2 understandable years to get the program's feat underneath it in Big East play but after that Beamer put together 23 straight winning seasons including 8 straight years of at least 10 wins.
Remarkable.
I don't think there's any argument that Fuente took over a better situation at Va Tech than did Odom at MU: a historically strong program in a weaker conference than the SEC with very strong fan and booster support.
Va Tech's AD Whit Babcock, who mentored under Mike Alden at MU, signed Fuente to a contract extension after the 2016 season, securing Fuente through the 2023 season (contract will escalate to $4 million in the last year).
Fuente followed that 10-4 season with a 9-4 campaign ending with a 30-21 loss to.... Oklahoma State. Still, Va Tech was ranked 21 in the final AP poll.
Entering this 2018 season as the AP 20th ranked team, Va Tech rose to the AP #12 team before getting handled by Notre Dame and then, after squeaking by a weak North Carolina team, losing 4 straight to Ga Tech, BC, Pitt, and Miami. Fuente needed 2 wins against Virginia and Marshall to get back to bowl eligibility at 6-6.
Heading into his 4th year at Va Tech (and 8th as a Head Coach), Fuente is "officially" on the Hot Seat, at #9 according to one of my favorite fun sites coacheshotseat.com -- one spot ahead of...Mike Gundy.
Fuente and Va Tech needs a win in the Military Bowl over a motivated 10-2 Cincinnati (bouncing back in the 2nd year of a rebuild under rising star Luke Fickell) to avoid Va Tech's first losing season in ... holy crap ... 25 years?
The Military Bowl is a nice appetizer at 11 a.m. on ESPN before our game at 2:45.
Anyway it's all fun but my goodness how quickly do fortunes shift in college football head coaching? We'll get to see one time can't-miss-hot-name-now-on-the-hot-seat Fuente against one of the newest can't-miss-hot-names Luke Fickell (longtime Ohio State player then assistant) before new-contract Odom takes on hot-seat Mike Gundy.
Odom and his mentor going in different directions? Two schools in MU and Va Tech with shared AD history. An Ok State team playing both MU and Va Tech in bowls back to back.
Fun stuff.
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Justin Fuente - first 3 years, Odom comparison, MU connex - GapDaddy MU - 12/21 12:27:40
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