Virginia Tech Finally Pulls The Plug On Fuente Fiasco

November 16, 2021 by Staff

A coach who spent a tremendous amount of time on the hot seat was finally fired, though the official presser says they mutually agreed to part ways. Virginia Tech announced on Tuesday morning (November 16) that the Justin Fuente tenure has ended and J.C. Price was named interim head coach for the rest of the season.

Price, a former standout defensive lineman for the Hokies from 1991-1995, was just added to the Virginia Tech staff this season as co-defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator.

Fuente's time in Blacksburg started out hot, going 10-4 in 2016, capturing the Coastal division title and winning the Belk Bowl. But that success was never repeated as he was just 24-23 over the last four years and 0-3 in bowl games.

On his watch, Virginia Tech's 27-year bowl streak came to an end in 2020, and a 15-year winning streak over state rival Virginia ended in 2019. His teams also had losses to Liberty and Old Dominion, a pair of non-Power 5 schools in the state.

Season ticket sales and alumni contributions were all taking a dive on his watch. Additionally, the school was losing on recruiting in the state, and saw a tremendous amount of star players enter the transfer portal, including QB's Josh Jackson (Maryland) and Hendon Hooker (Tennessee).

Fuente was 43-31 overall with the Hokies, and is 69-54 in his career.