Local OL Gunner Givens took an unofficial to North Carolina yesterday. He's a kid who's 100% in unless he ends up totally hating the new coaches that come in, but using the coaching change to take advantage of the recruiting process (and the experiences it can provide) at this point.

He's a guy who's exploring his options because there's no guarantee a new VT coaching staff appreciates him the way the current one does/did:

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5 point game and you clearly stopped the canes on 4th down. I think you win if the Acc refs don’t screw you there.

I'll have much more to come, as always:

Hokies can't handle Van Dyke, fall in Miami

Alabama gets away with targeting more than anyone in this league. Seemingly every play they go high and put the crown of their helmets in the ear hole of the opposing team. Instead the announcers talk about taking a “big shot” and “vicious hit”. All you have to do is watch. 5 mins of it and you’ll see what I’m talking about. I just don’t understand the bias when it comes to a rule to protect these guys. SMH.

Great coach, recruiter and charismatic.

Did everyone move to different forums?

Updates from the interim head coach here at his first media availability inn the position.

We'll be chattin' during tonight's game against St. Francis (Pa.). The assumption is... there won't be a ton of intrigue here.

Each night during the Hokies' coaching search, I'll bring you a nightly notebook about the latest rumblings. Welcome to the first edition thereof.

Although the Virginia Tech head coaching job has been open for about 36 hours, there have been some back-channel communications extending a little farther back. As noted regularly since the Syracuse loss, the expectation has been for a coaching change at the conclusion of 2020, while in the past week-ish the timeline accelerated with Justin Fuente trying to leave a little more gracefully and give the Hokies a better chance to nail the hire of his replacement. (Incomplete coach though he turned out to be, he was always, always a good dude).

During the pre-firing phases of back-channel communication, University of Louisiana's Billy Napier seemed to be nudging ahead as AD Whit Babcock's top choice. That may very well still be the case... but the competition to actually land Napier may ultimately be too stiff. With USC and LSU jobs also open, the reality of the situation - despite Babcock's bluster in his press conference yesterday - is that Virginia Tech is not going to outspend those programs to land a head coach. If they end up with the No. 1 guy on the "hot mid-major coach with Power-5 interest," it'll be because of reasons other than finances. That's a possibility. It's not one the Hokies moved early on Fuente in order to wait around on.

Where the back-channel communications have ramped up in the past 24 hours are with a coach that Hokie fans may be familiar with - after all, Virginia Tech has played Dave Clawson's Wake Forest teams three times (the infamous 6-3 game in 2014, and a split series over the past two years before the Deacons disappeared into the Atlantic Division no-crossover hole again this season - thankfully, given the comparative success of the teams in 2021). There's something to be said for the success he's built in Winston-Salem after a rough start succeeding the weak latter years of the Jim Grobe era. (See his full coaching profile on the hotboard, with updates to come). There's something to be said for his near-decade of direct experience as a head coach in the ACC, with his previous coaching stops seemingly designed to build a résumé for a program in VT's location - both physically and in the grand scheme of college football - at this point. And yes, there's something to be said for a guy finding success at a Power-5 program that is very much in the "VT can outbid them" range to lure a coaching talent away.

That's not to say it's basically in the books: Whit Babcock's informal coaching-search committee couldn't really convene in any serious way until after Fuente was officially gone, and plenty of input from that group, and around the Hokie football diaspora will be considered. Even if Clawson does emerge as the top choice for Babcock, there's the pesky idea that having to hire a guy away from a Power-5 team, much less a conference rival, is never a done deal until it's, well, a done deal. If the Deacons hold on and win the ACC, there's no question the athletic department there will be pressured (or given the resources) to do what it takes to hold onto him. And the vetting of other candidates could see them pass him by on Babcock's list anyway. But at this stage, the mutual interest between Babcock and Clawson is there, even if it's been primarily through intermediaries at this point.

How would that hire make Hokie Nation feel? Probably unimpressed, though not disappointed. How should it make Hokie Nation feel? Well, that's basically right. There may be early lumps, but the long-term trend for a program under Clawson, with the resources that VT is going to be willing to put into supporting him, should be pretty good.

His situation, right now, is the one we'll be monitoring the closest for now... but "for now" could end as soon as "by the time we wake up in the morning."

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BLACKSBURG – Director of Athletics Whit Babcock announced on Tuesday that Virginia Tech and head football coach Justin Fuente have mutually agreed to part ways. Babcock indicated that a national search is underway to fill the position. J.C. Price will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2021 season.



“We sincerely appreciate the contributions that Coach Fuente made to our football program and the positive impact he made on our student-athletes during his time at Virginia Tech,” Babcock said. “While it is never easy to make a change, I believe in order for our football program to attain the type of sustained success that is expected at Virginia Tech, the time was right for new leadership of our football program.



“Virginia Tech is one of the most attractive football jobs in America, competing in one of the nation’s premier conferences, the ACC,” Babcock continued. “I’m extremely confident that we’ll be able to identify and hire a new head coach who can build on our rich history and winning tradition.”



Babcock will address the media at Virginia Tech’s regularly scheduled football availability at 10:45 am today.



“This is an extraordinarily difficult circumstance, particularly before the season had concluded,” Tech President Dr. Tim Sands stated. “I support and have full confidence in Whit’s leadership and appreciate his commitment keep the best interest of the players and the program in the forefront of his mind. Together, we stand in support of our student-athletes as they prepare to complete the season at this challenging time.”



Fuente compiled a 43-31 record in six seasons at Tech. The Tulsa, Oklahoma native owns a 69-54 career record during 10 seasons as an FBS head coach. Prior to joining the Hokies he guided Memphis to a 26-23 ledger in four seasons.






Message to Hokie Nation from Justin Fuente



On behalf of Jenny and our family, I would like to thank President Sands, Whit and the entire Virginia Tech community for extending me the opportunity to lead this football program for six seasons.



To the many incredible young men that I had the privilege to coach, so many of you have made a lasting impact on our family. I can’t thank you enough for your dedication and your commitment to doing your very best, whether that was on the field, in the classroom or in your personal lives.



To the fabulous assistant coaches and support staff at Virginia Tech, I can’t express how much I appreciated all of your work and all your sacrifices. It takes so many dedicated, hard-working and loyal people behind the scenes to make a football program run smoothly. Thank you.



To the all donors who have recently stepped up to make substantial contributions to Virginia Tech Football, please know the importance of your commitment. So many improvements have been made to point our facilities and overall student-athlete experience in the right direction. Thank you to the fans of Hokie Nation. I would encourage all of you to continue cheering on this football team – your support means so much to all of them.



Finally, to Jenny, Cecilia, Caroline, Charlotte and the rest of our family, thank you for your unwavering love and support. We have all been in this together and we will continue to be in this together on the next step of our journey.



We leave Blacksburg with many great memories, but above all else, our family cherishes the many relationships that have been established and that will always endure. To all of those players, coaches and staff who are still fighting on, know that the Fuente family is always cheering for you.

@MFarrell gives a few candidates to step into Jusitn Fuente's shoes:

Next up at VT? Mike Farrell's shortlist