Bruce Feldman: Virginia Tech head coach target emerges to replace Justin Fuente

Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente appears to be firmly on the hot seat. The Hokies started the season at 3-1, but have since lost three consecutive games and now sit at 3-4. On Fox Big Noon Kickoff on Saturday morning, Bruce Feldman highlighted a potential top target for Virginia Tech if they decide to make a move at head coach.

“I am told Sonny Dykes is expected to be a target if Virginia Tech pulls the plug on Justin Fuente, who is on one of the hottest seats in the country right now,” Feldman said on Big Noon Kickoff. “Fuente is 3-4. Also has frosty relationships with some of the key people inside Virginia Tech.”

Dykes, currently SMU’s head coach, has done a tremendous job with the Mustangs. His first full season at SMU was in 2018, where he went 5-7. In 2019, Dykes led SMU to a 10-3 season before losing in the Boca Raton Bowl. Last season, SMU was 7-3, and the Mustangs are a perfect 7-0 and ranked this season.

Dykes interestingly has a salary of just $1.34 million, which is the lowest among head coaches in the American Athletic Conference. He has previously been a head coach at Louisiana Tech and California.

Some Virginia Tech fans want a change at head coach

Virginia Tech suffered a tough 41-36 loss to Syracuse last week. The Orange scored a long 45-yard touchdown with 19 seconds remaining to earn the victory. After the game, Virginia Tech fans began chanting “Fire Fuente!” One fan even said that Fuente has built a “culture of losing” at Virginia Tech.

After the loss, Fuente commented on the rumors of him being on the hot seat. He is focused on being Virginia Tech’s head coach right now.

“I’m worried about giving these guys a chance to win, OK? We ain’t going down that road. Everybody up and down that hallway is selling out to give these kids a chance to win,” Fuente said to reporters after the game. “So, I’m not worried about any of that, OK? Can’t be focused on things we can’t control. What we can control is our attitude and effort. And our kids have been incredible with all of that. And our job now is to get them to do the same exact thing for next week.”

Fuente was the first head coach at Virginia Tech following the tenure of legendary coach Frank Beamer. The Hokies have won 10, nine, six, eight, and five games in Fuente’s five full seasons so far.