Photo: Streeter Lecka
Virginia Tech has fired head football coach Justin Fuente after six seasons with the program, athletic director Whit Babcock announced Tuesday.
Defensive line coachJ.C.Pricewill serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2021 season as the athletic department begins its search for Fuente's full-time replacement with two regular season games remaining.
"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 in a statement shared on the Hokies' official website. "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."
Fuente -- who replaced a retiring Frank Beamer on November 29, 2015 -- went 43-31 during his six seasons in Blacksburg and owns a career record of 69-54 during 10 seasons as an FBS head coach, which included a 26-23 record during four seasons at Memphis.
Fuente released the following statement amid news of his termination on Tuesday via HokiesSports.com:
"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 all the 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."
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