Head coach Justin Fuente of the Virginia Tech Hokies. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, Va. – This photo might not be worth 1,000 words, but it should be worth a couple. Perhaps those words would be “I am staying put.”
Thursday morning, less than 24 hours after Yahoo! Sports reported he was considered the leading candidate for the vacant head coaching job at Baylor University, Virginia Tech head football coach Justin Fuente tweeted a photo with his newly-assembled coaching staff in Blacksburg. The caption read: 2020 – Let’s go!
Without directly addressing the rumors and reports, this appears to be Fuente’s way of saying he’s staying put at Virginia Tech for a fifth season, despite Pete Thamel reporting Fuente and Baylor had planned an in-person interview.
Update: Later in the day Thursday, Virginia Tech Athletic Director Whit Babcock confirmed Fuente met with Baylor officials Wednesday. Babcock also confirmed Fuente informed him Thursday morning of his intention to remain as Hokies bench boss.
In four seasons at Virginia Tech, Fuente’s record is 33-and-20 – including four consecutive bowl game appearances. However, Tech’s record is just 14-and-12 the past two seasons – with a 9-and-8 mark in ACC play.
Head coach Justin Fuente of the Virginia Tech Hokies (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images)
Earlier this year, Fuente, who is from Oklahoma, was linked to the vacant Arkansas job.
Fuente replaced legendary Virginia Tech head football coach Frank Beamer in 2016, coming to Blacksburg after a 26-and-23 record in four seasons as the head coach at Memphis. Prior to that, Fuente worked on the TCU staff – a member of the Big 12 Conference, from 2007 to 2011.
Baylor, a program that lost in the Big 12 title game last season, is seeking a replacement for head coach Matt Rhule – who was hired as head coach of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers last week.
