Virginia Tech's Justin Fuente making replacing a legend look easy
Late in the 2015 season, and into the offseason, many wanted to know: would Tom Herman leave Houston for a Power 5 opening?
Herman had just led the Cougars to a 13-1 record in his first year as head coach, one year after helping Ohio State win the College Football Playoff as the Buckeyes' offensive coordinator.
Herman elected to remain in the American Athletic Conference and help Houston try and earn a Big 12 invite, while another AAC coach made the jump instead.
Then Memphis head coach Justin Fuente had guided the Tigers to a 9-4 record in 2015, leading to his quarterback, Paxton Lynch, being drafted in the first round of the NFL draft. As well, his 26 victories across four seasons were one less than Memphis had won in the previous seven campaigns combined.
Fuente was ready to move on, and with Herman staying, became the hottest non-Power 5 coach on the market.
Travel to Blacksburg, Va., and many folklore tales are told about legendary Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer, who led the Hokies to 23 consecutive bowl games from 1993-2015. However, the program had regressed, as it went from playing in six BCS bowls across a 12-year period (and winning five conference championships), to going 7-6 in four straight years from 2012-15.
A change was needed, and while Herman wasn't interested, Fuente jumped at the chance. It's been an easy transition ever since.
In Beamer's final four seasons as coach, the Hokies averaged 25.7 points and 370.8 yards per game. Known as an offensive-minded bench boss, Fuente now has Virginia Tech averaging 35.9 points through seven games in 2016, on the strength of 435 yards.
Fuente's attacking offense has already scored 20 touchdowns through the air in just over half a season, while the Hokies averaged just 19.3 across the previous four full years.
Where Fuente has made his biggest impact, though, is on the ground. The Hokies are averaging just under 200 yards rushing, compared to 143 throughout 2012-15.
Outside of this weekend's key matchup with Pitt, the remaining combined record for Virginia Tech's opponents is 11-17, as the Hokies are potentially set up to win 10 games and crack the ACC championship game, after a 5-2 start.
Herman is once again the hottest candidate in 2016, as the Cougars are 6-2 and did not receive an invite to the Big 12. With an opening at LSU and potentially at Texas, he'll again have his pick of destination.
But for Fuente and Virginia Tech, the match has been perfect and came at just the right time. Seventy-year-old Beamer was able to leave with his bowl record and dignity intact, while the Hokies have a 40-year-old, up-and-comer who's brought exciting football back to Lane Stadium.