Justin Fuente releases statement after being fired by Virginia Tech

Early Tuesday morning, Virginia Tech announced it “mutually agreed to part ways” with coach Justin Fuente, effective immediately. In the press release, Fuente released a lengthy statement thanking Hokie Nation.

The Hokies are 5-5 overall this season and 3-3 in ACC play. They’re coming off a 48-17 win over Duke at Lane Stadium last week. That was Virginia Tech’s final home game on the schedule.

In his statement, Fuente thanked a lengthy list of people and conveyed how grateful he was for his time in Blacksburg.

“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,” Fuente said. “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.”

Defensive line coach JC Price will take over as interim head coach. Virginia Tech has two games left on its schedule, starting with a trip to Miami this week.