Justin Fuente
Quick Bio: Just two short years ago, Justin Fuente was in the state of Tennessee as a head coach. Last season, he accepted the position as Virginia Tech’s head coach, and the Vols faced him in his second ever game as the Hokies’ head coach, defeating Tech 45-24 in the Battle at Bristol. But Fuente has had success since then at Tech, and he had success at Memphis too.
Pros: Fuente has quickly gained attention for the job he’s done at Virginia Tech. He took over after legendary coach Frank Beamer and the Hokies parted ways, and he’s earned a 19-7 record in his two seasons as head coach of the Hokies. He also led Memphis to a 26-23 record in his four seasons there, including a 10-3 record and 9-3 mark in his last two seasons.
Cons/Questions: Fuente’s buyout is huge, and it’s because of that he is highly unlikely to move anywhere after just two seasons with Virginia Tech. His buyout is $6 million if he’s hired before December 15th of this year. Add that to the reported $8 million buyout for Jones, and that becomes very costly for Tennessee.
