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Virginia Tech Head Football Coach in Virginia Beach for Football Kickoff Dinner

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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Getting ready to start his third season at the helm of the Virginia Tech football program, Justin Fuente is firing up fans around the state.

Tuesday, Fuente, Athletic Director Whit Babcock and other big names in Hokie athletics joined the Tidewater Hokie Club for the club’s 11th annual Football Kickoff Dinner.

Fuente, who’s had some recruiting success in the 757, says these kinds of visits are part of it.

“This is our state and Virginia Tech has a long storied history of recruiting some fantastic athletes out of this area and we want to continue that,” he said. “The key to is through the transition they’ve seen we’re having success. We’re going to continue to build toward success.”

In his first year at Virginia Tech, Fuente’s Hokies won ten games and made it to the

Last year, Tech won nine games, starting with an opening victory against West Virginia at a neutral site.

Their opener this year is conference foe Florida State and they’ll be playing in Tallahassee surrounded by what’s sure to be a hostile Seminole crowd.

But the schedule shapes up pretty nicely after that, including a September 22 trip to Norfolk to play at Old Dominion for the first time.

“We’re playing regionally and I think it’s great. It gives the fans that can’t make the trip to Blacksburg a chance to come see us on the road and cheer on the Hokies. I just think those games are good for everybody and we’re excited to come this way,” said Fuente.

One player who’s particularly excited for the game is running back Deshawn McClease, a 2015 prospect out of Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake.

“I’ll be pretty much playing in front of all my friends and family so it’s a very special game for me and I’m going to take it very seriously,” McClease told News 3.

Fuente’s trip around the state continues throughout the week with a stop in Charlotte for ACC Media Days.