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Virginia Tech football: 3 candidates to replace Justin Fuente

ByPayton Wilkerson|
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 02: Head coach Justin Fuente of the Virginia Tech Hokies looks on before the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium on November 02, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 02: Head coach Justin Fuente of the Virginia Tech Hokies looks on before the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium on November 02, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
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Virginia Tech football is now looking for a new head coach, and these three men should be on their shortlist.

Virginia Tech football announced on Tuesday that they have fired Justin Fuente after six seasons as the Hokies’ head coach. Fuente was 43-31 in his time in Blacksburg.

Before coming to Blacksburg, Fuente was the head coach of Memphis football. He helped Memphis win their first bowl game since 2005 and won 10 games in 2014. Under his coaching, quarterback Paxton Lynch would become a 1st round selection by the Denver Broncos.

In his first season at Virginia Tech, the Hokies made an appearance in the ACC Championship game and finished with a 10-4 record. Unfortunately, the team could never keep the momentum going..

Brandon Marcello of 24/7 Sports had this to say about Fuente’s performance as head coach back in October:

"“Frustratingly bad doesn’t begin to explain the late-game losses (Notre Dame’s rally and game-winning field goal two weeks ago sticks out) and in the land of Frank Beamer, such spurts of incompetence will not be tolerated much longer. Fuente is also struggling to land the best recruits in the state, which is a no-no at any Power Five gig, but couple that with signing classes ranked near or at the bottom of the ACC in 2021 and 2020, and a clear disconnect with boosters, and it’s clear why he’s on the hot seat with a miserable 22-22 record since 2018.” “More alarming are the performance in tight games, particularly at home. Fuente has led the Hokies to three-game losing streaks inside Lane Stadium three times in four seasons; Beamer suffered through two such streaks in 29 years (!) leading the program.”"

Despite the lack of success over the past couple of years, Virginia Tech should be an attractive job opening for a head coach. Legendary coach Frank Beamer had incredible success in Blacksburg, and the team made 27 consecutive bowl game appearances from 1993-2019.

Here are a few names you’ll most likely hear about in the coming days:

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