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Guys, first of all, I have it confirmed from VERY good sources in the VT administration, as well as after checking with sources from each of the candidates that there's currently NO DONE DEAL. But this one is very close. I'm told that this one will wrap up as soon as over the next about 4-5 days. It could stretch a bit longer, but athletic director Whit Babcock wants the search to be over with as soon as possible, as other openings will happen starting next week.
There's been a lot of smoke and mirrors over the past few weeks, as everyone wants to be an expert right now. But after conferring with very good sources on all sides, I still have reason to believe that Memphis' Justin Fuente is as close to a front-runner as there is right now. The other guys who are now for sure in VT's top three are Mississippi State's Dan Mullen and SMU's Chad Morris. Babcock and VT looked very strongly at Georgia coach Mark Richt, but it appears Richt has decided that he wants to stay there, as it's looking about 99% certain that defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt will be the fall guy there and not be back next season. Of course, always keep an eye on an 11th hour guy, since that's exactly what Buzz Williams was when he was hired.
With Fuente, everything seems to align here. He's an offensive-minded guy, which Babcock loves, he's only 39, he resurrected a downtrodden Memphis program and he's tutored two damn good quarterbacks in Andy Dalton at TCU and now Paxton Lynch. Plus, really just a coincidence, but after playing quarterback for two years at Oklahoma, Fuente played his last two years in college at Murray State, from 1998-99. Just about all of you know, but that happens to be where Frank Beamer coached before he got with the Hokies in 1987.
Fuente makes a lot of sense in a lot of ways. After combing through old newspaper articles and other stories, Fuente has been praised at all his stops for his drive and work ethic. Plus, I've been told that Fuente has had his eyes on a power five job for a while. VERY interesting note is that is why his buyout is so low, at $500,000 pre-tax. A VERY good source following the situation with Fuente and Memphis, told me that he turned down $2.75 million a year from Memphis last year. The school apparently wanted to lock him up for long term, but he wanted a low buyout to give him an out for when he believed the time was right to move on to a power five school. As a result, Memphis gave him a much lower raise, which I'm told very much irritated Fuente.
Also keep in mind here that Fuente was just made a huge offer by Memphis in the past week. He was offered $24 million over eight years, which would make him the highest paid coach of any non-power five school. I'm told Fuente hasn't turned that down, but he hasn't agreed to anything, either. Our friends at our Memphis site, TigerSportsReport.com, have told me that their sources say Fuente has also been telling Memphis boosters of late that he's staying there. So it will be interesting to see how it transpires with him, but my gut tells me Fuente is the top choice for VT.
Morris has been tough to get a gauge on because he's at a private school and because his camp has been surprisingly quiet, past saying that Morris is interested in the Hokies. Mullen is a name that's only been on the national radar with VT over the past couple of days, but I'm told his name has been in the mix for weeks. But it's hard to tell how serious a contender he is because his salary just increased to $4 million for this season. He'll make an average of $4.275 million through 2018, according to AL.com.
Also have some other big news. I've confirmed through VERY good sources at VT that defensive coordinator Bud Foster has already had preliminary interviews for the head coaching position at Illinois and will soon have a full interview there. Foster was born in Somerset, Ky, but basically grew up in the St. Louis area of Illinois. I'm also told that depending on the timing, he would also interview for the Memphis head coach job should Fuente leave. So looks about 99% certain that Foster will not be back with the Hokies after this season.
Guys, first of all, I have it confirmed from VERY good sources in the VT administration, as well as after checking with sources from each of the candidates that there's currently NO DONE DEAL. But this one is very close. I'm told that this one will wrap up as soon as over the next about 4-5 days. It could stretch a bit longer, but athletic director Whit Babcock wants the search to be over with as soon as possible, as other openings will happen starting next week.
There's been a lot of smoke and mirrors over the past few weeks, as everyone wants to be an expert right now. But after conferring with very good sources on all sides, I still have reason to believe that Memphis' Justin Fuente is as close to a front-runner as there is right now. The other guys who are now for sure in VT's top three are Mississippi State's Dan Mullen and SMU's Chad Morris. Babcock and VT looked very strongly at Georgia coach Mark Richt, but it appears Richt has decided that he wants to stay there, as it's looking about 99% certain that defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt will be the fall guy there and not be back next season. Of course, always keep an eye on an 11th hour guy, since that's exactly what Buzz Williams was when he was hired.
With Fuente, everything seems to align here. He's an offensive-minded guy, which Babcock loves, he's only 39, he resurrected a downtrodden Memphis program and he's tutored two damn good quarterbacks in Andy Dalton at TCU and now Paxton Lynch. Plus, really just a coincidence, but after playing quarterback for two years at Oklahoma, Fuente played his last two years in college at Murray State, from 1998-99. Just about all of you know, but that happens to be where Frank Beamer coached before he got with the Hokies in 1987.
Fuente makes a lot of sense in a lot of ways. After combing through old newspaper articles and other stories, Fuente has been praised at all his stops for his drive and work ethic. Plus, I've been told that Fuente has had his eyes on a power five job for a while. VERY interesting note is that is why his buyout is so low, at $500,000 pre-tax. A VERY good source following the situation with Fuente and Memphis, told me that he turned down $2.75 million a year from Memphis last year. The school apparently wanted to lock him up for long term, but he wanted a low buyout to give him an out for when he believed the time was right to move on to a power five school. As a result, Memphis gave him a much lower raise, which I'm told very much irritated Fuente.
Also keep in mind here that Fuente was just made a huge offer by Memphis in the past week. He was offered $24 million over eight years, which would make him the highest paid coach of any non-power five school. I'm told Fuente hasn't turned that down, but he hasn't agreed to anything, either. Our friends at our Memphis site, TigerSportsReport.com, have told me that their sources say Fuente has also been telling Memphis boosters of late that he's staying there. So it will be interesting to see how it transpires with him, but my gut tells me Fuente is the top choice for VT.
Morris has been tough to get a gauge on because he's at a private school and because his camp has been surprisingly quiet, past saying that Morris is interested in the Hokies. Mullen is a name that's only been on the national radar with VT over the past couple of days, but I'm told his name has been in the mix for weeks. But it's hard to tell how serious a contender he is because his salary just increased to $4 million for this season. He'll make an average of $4.275 million through 2018, according to AL.com.
Also have some other big news. I've confirmed through VERY good sources at VT that defensive coordinator Bud Foster has already had preliminary interviews for the head coaching position at Illinois and will soon have a full interview there. Foster was born in Somerset, Ky, but basically grew up in the St. Louis area of Illinois. I'm also told that depending on the timing, he would also interview for the Memphis head coach job should Fuente leave. So looks about 99% certain that Foster will not be back with the Hokies after this season.
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