The props keep rolling in for Coach Fuente. As the title says, Coach Fuente was named the #1 new football coach of 2016 by Athlon. They kept him in that spot after naming him the #1 coaching hire last offseason.
Grading College Football's First-Year Coaching Hires for 2016
1. Fuente ranked as Athlon's No. 1 hire for 2016 and maintains that place in the postseason after a strong debut in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech finished 10-4 last year and claimed the ACC Coastal Division title for the first time since 2011. The Hokies scored key road wins over divisional foes Pitt (39-36), North Carolina (34-3) and handled Miami 37-16 in Blacksburg. Additionally, Fuente's team scored a road win over Notre Dame, rallied from a 24-0 deficit to beat Arkansas 35-24 in the Belk Bowl and gave Clemson (42-35) all it could handle in the ACC Championship Game. Fuente's background on offense provided a needed spark for the Hokies. This unit averaged 34.1 points in league matchups, compared to 25.4 in 2015. The offense also recorded 5.8 yards per play in ACC contests, up from 4.65 from the previous year. With Bud Foster handling the defense, and Fuente working with Brad Cornelsen to run the offense, Virginia Tech will quickly reload and push for another trip to the ACC title game in 2017.
Also, loluva still sucks.
24. Virginia's hire of Mendenhall was a curious one last offseason. The Utah native had never coached east of Louisiana, with most of his experience coming from stints at BYU, New Mexico and Oregon State. From 2005-15, Mendenhall guided BYU to a 99-43 record and went to a bowl game in all 11 seasons in Provo, Utah. And for the first time in his coaching career, Mendenhall is headed into an offseason after a losing campaign. Virginia finished 2-10 and ended 2016 with a seven-game losing streak. The Cavaliers posted wins over Central Michigan and Duke but lost to FCS member Richmond, UConn and were easily handled 52-10 by rival Virginia Tech. The first-year struggles were expected, as Virginia returned only 10 starters from 2015 and entered the year with question marks at quarterback and up front on defense.
GO HOKIES!
Comments
I cheer both of those ratings.
Then again, we already knew it.
Another opportunity to rub it in their cheese eating faces is always nice
Good luck not singing this one in your head....
You could say we put LOLUVA in a body bag
Our Coach is so fucking awesome you guys
This one always gets me.
DMFW
Wait so is Athlon good with rankings now?
Only when we're #1 or UVA is in the basement.
So...yes
http://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2015/december/23/athlon-ranks-best-col...
Just not top 3 then.
Athlon rankings are fine...as long as I agree with them.
I feel like CJF's first year is like a new hope!
As a matter of fact, why not turn it into a trilogy!
(EDITED to add years)
YEAR 1
YEAR 2
YEAR 3 and beyond
As long as we never get to "The Hoos Awaken", I'm good.
Not a star wars guy but these are pretty neat! Nice job
Must not downvote wrong opinions.
Nationally televised games matter for perception. Sans Tennessee, VT will be remembered fondly by the media for this past season.
Fuente is literally the best coach ever!!
Literally!