Va Tech pulls the trigger on Justin Fuentes

[was21]

...bye

 

[FlotownDawg]

He was one of the hottest names on the coaching market when he was hired. Surprising he never had much success at Va Tech.

 

[IPMdawg]

Same for Mike Norvell. There’s something about these former Memphis coaches.

 

[ronpolk]

I don’t follow recruiting all that closely but I’m guessing Memphis is probably one of the best recruiters in that conference. Helps when you’re more talented that most teams you play.

 

[Seinfeld]

Memphis has made a killing the last 8-10 years at the skill positions by coming into Mississippi and getting the kids that flew under MSU and OM’s radar, snagging SEC castaways, and then finding a local diamond in the rough here in there. And to you’re point, there isn’t anyone else in the AAC aside from occasionally Cincinnati that can collect that type of talent.

It feels nuts saying this, but over the last 5 years, I think Memphis may have put more skill players in the NFL than OM and MSU combined. I’m trying to think…. Gainwell, Gibson, Henderson, Pollard, Miller, and I think there’s at least one more that I’m forgetting, so there’s 5-6

 

[paindonthurt_]

It’s really hard to make a good coaching hire.

75% of this board would have given up a testicle to get Justin Fuentes when he was leaving Memphis assuming Mullen would have been leaving at the time.

 

[ckDOG]

I hope Norvell gets another chance at a decent program

Same for Mike Norvell. There’s something about these former Memphis coaches.

Felt like the locker room was against him from day 1. Of course, you get paid a truck load to win the locker room so....

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Agreed. He walked into a toxic situation at FSU.

 

[johnson86-1]

It’s really hard to make a good coaching hire.

75% of this board would have given up a testicle to get Justin Fuentes when he was leaving Memphis assuming Mullen would have been leaving at the time.

Not sure about a testicle, but it's defniitely true there are no sure things. Saban and Meyer look like sure things, but I think a lot of people thought Chip Kellyl looked like a sure thing (although he has managed to get bowl eligible and finish at least .500 in conference in his fourth season).

 

[patdog]

In other words, they've taken a lot of the recruits Southern Miss used to get back when they were good.

 

[patdog]

I guess I'm in the 25% then. But new hires are always a crapshoot. Success at one school may or may not translate into success somewhere else. Or even success a few years down the road at the same school.

 

[Smoked Toag]

Memphis has made a killing the last 8-10 years at the skill positions by coming into Mississippi and getting the kids that flew under MSU and OM’s radar, snagging SEC castaways, and then finding a local diamond in the rough here in there. And to you’re point, there isn’t anyone else in the AAC aside from occasionally Cincinnati that can collect that type of talent.

It feels nuts saying this, but over the last 5 years, I think Memphis may have put more skill players in the NFL than OM and MSU combined. I’m trying to think…. Gainwell, Gibson, Henderson, Pollard, Miller, and I think there’s at least one more that I’m forgetting, so there’s 5-6

Just another reason we don't want those guys in a P5 conference.

 

[The Peeper]

Add Scott Frost to the list. He was 19-7 @ Mike Bianchi's nominee to join the SEC, UCF, but is 15-27 (currently 3-7) at his Alma mater Nebraska and would probably be gone after this season, except, he will be owed $20,400,000 in a buyout

 

[WilCoDawg]

Well, you might be able to throw Merlinz name into that group soon. Maybe, just maybe, success doesn’t translate well no matter the school. We see this all the time in the business world as well.
This may make future coaching changes think twice about moving to greener pastures.

 

[missouridawg]

If you are Dan Mullen... is this where you try to sneak off to in the offseason (or now)? Florida wants him gone. The ACC would allow him to recruit mediocrely and still get to 8 wins a year.

 

[Willow Grove Dawg]

Mullen would be a very good fit at Virginia Tech. Somebody has to win that division every year opposite Clemson.

 

[johnson86-1]

Add Scott Frost to the list. He was 19-7 @ Mike Bianchi's nominee to join the SEC, UCF, but is 15-27 (currently 3-7) at his Alma mater Nebraska and would probably be gone after this season, except, he will be owed $20,400,000 in a buyout

And it goes both ways. I thought Huepel was a pretty mediocre hire based on UCF dropping off when Frost left. But he appears to have UT moving in the right direction at least.

 

[FlotownDawg]

Sam Pittman is the biggest WTF hire that worked out and goes to show that coaching hires can be a crapshoot. Guy was a 60-year old career O line coach who didn’t even have a Wikipedia page when he was hired at Arkansas. Everybody laughed at the hire but he very well might win SEC COY this season.

 

[HumpDawgy]

I wonder if they would want to bring in Shane. It was Papa that built that program. I'm not sure if he will be as successful a HC as his old man, but it is hard not to like that guy.

 

[johnson86-1]

Mullen would be a very good fit at Virginia Tech. Somebody has to win that division every year opposite Clemson.

He'd be a great fit at Va Tech I think. If Florida fires him and I'm Va TEch, I'd definitely reach out to see if he's fired up about coaching college.

 

[Duke Humphrey]

I think Dan will take time off and/or try to catch on with NFL as an assistant. He appears to be burned out on CFB at the moment, and while the level at VT is different at UF, it still requires the recruiting, etc that he loathes. He could catch on in NFL as an assistant and try to parlay that into a HC opportunity, or come back to the college game if he finds out the pros aren't for him and have a renewed focus.

 

[patdog]

Agree. I think he'd be a good fit there. Never thought he was a good fit for Florida. VA Tech is a pretty lateral move from Mississippi State, but it'd be easier to win more in that conference.

 

[johnson86-1]

Sam Pittman is the biggest WTF hire that worked out and goes to show that coaching hires can be a crapshoot. Guy was a 60-year old career O line coach who didn’t even have a Wikipedia page when he was hired at Arkansas. Everybody laughed at the hire but he very well might win SEC COY this season.

He has turned out great so far, but I'm also not sure he isn't poor man's Orgeron. He's got some good coordinators that he probably won't keep. Now he's not going to lose interest in coaching, so I don't expect a drop off like Orgeron, but I do think he's going to be up and down depending on what kind of coordinators he hires.

 

[paindonthurt_]

Meyer was a sure thing until he had “health issues” at Florida.

 

[Smoked Toag]

I think Dan will take time off and/or try to catch on with NFL as an assistant. He appears to be burned out on CFB at the moment, and while the level at VT is different at UF, it still requires the recruiting, etc that he loathes. He could catch on in NFL as an assistant and try to parlay that into a HC opportunity, or come back to the college game if he finds out the pros aren't for him and have a renewed focus.

I agree with this. He'd be a great NFL head coach, especially in this QB-centric age. But he'd still have to change a few things. He can't just cuss everybody out daily in the NFL.

 

[Smoked Toag]

And it goes both ways. I thought Huepel was a pretty mediocre hire based on UCF dropping off when Frost left. But he appears to have UT moving in the right direction at least.

I don't know. Tennessee wants to get back to elite status. Heupel seems like another Butch Jones to me at best. People forget that Butch did a lot of good things, just never got over that hump before he lost it. Very close to big years in 2015 and 2016.

Pruitt, for all his coaching issues, did recruit fairly well at Tennessee, and Heupel is reaping the benefits, and still just 5-5.

These 'offensive' guys aren't the answer people think they are......it's about recruiting.

 

[maroonmania]

Sam Pittman is the biggest WTF hire that worked out and goes to show that coaching hires can be a crapshoot. Guy was a 60-year old career O line coach who didn’t even have a Wikipedia page when he was hired at Arkansas. Everybody laughed at the hire but he very well might win SEC COY this season.

Pittman is a good CEO glue guy that is currently a product of 2 very good coordinators. Kind of reminds me of how Coach O was successful in 2019. Be interesting to see how Pittman does if Odom and Briles leave.

 

[TheStateUofMS]

UCF and Houston recruit decent.

 

[drumrcraig]

In other words, they've taken a lot of the recruits Southern Miss used to get back when they were good.

There is a lot of truth to that statement. They used to live off of the guys that weren’t quite SEC-ready and then those guys played with a chip on their shoulder. Now a lot of those players are now going to Troy, USA, etc. that USM did not have to go against back in the day.

 

[TheStateUofMS]

Fuente isn't a bad coach. It's not like VT is a dumpster fire. They had Hooker transfer on them. Could just be a situation of a new guy coming in after the old guy was there 40 years and it takes some time to make that transition. I don't think Fuente should have been fired yet.

He's done pretty well there. Only won 5 games last year, but it was the covid year. This is his first truly bad year and he's 5-5. I guess that's awful for the ACC? I haven't watched them closely, but I see them for a few min just about every weekend and I think he should have gotten one more year. Hell they have a chance to have a winning record this year and that would be a winning record every year at VT as HC other than covid year. He's a very rich man though. $2.5mil richer I heard by getting fired 2months early.

 

[drumrcraig]

Pittman is a good CEO glue guy that is currently a product of 2 very good coordinators. Kind of reminds me of how Coach O was successful in 2019. Be interesting to see how Pittman does if Odom and Briles leave.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Briles take either the Texas Tech or TCU jobs.

 

[was21]

TT already filled its job

 

[hogfan14]

Sam Pittman is the biggest WTF hire that worked out and goes to show that coaching hires can be a crapshoot. Guy was a 60-year old career O line coach who didn’t even have a Wikipedia page when he was hired at Arkansas. Everybody laughed at the hire but he very well might win SEC COY this season.

Some ADs get stuck on trying to make the flashy hire and don't focus on the "fit" enough. Turns out Pittman was just what Arkansas needed at the right time.

There are plenty of good coaches out there that never get an opportunity to advance up the ladder for one reason or another. Guarantee you there are FCS coaches out there that are better than the recycled P5 coaches that keep getting re-hired but they never get looked at much. Pittman probably could have been an OC a long time ago if he really wanted to. Odom offered it to him at Missouri.

 

[DoggieDaddy13]

75% of this board would have given up a testicle to get Justin Fuentes when he was leaving Memphis assuming Mullen would have been leaving at the time.

75% of this board would have given up both testicles for Mark Hudspeth for 17 sake.

 

[The Peeper]

I don't think his ego will allow him to be fired from FL. I really expect he's got Sexton hard at work on the phones w/ NFL GM's and already told the loafered cheerleader that he will announce as soon after the Nov 27th FL St game as he can, that he's moving to an NFL job that "he couldn't turn down", just to save face.