Virginia Tech’s current Head Coach Justin Fuente is interviewing for the Baylor coaching vacancy left by Matt Rhule when he decided to take the job as the new Carolina Panthers Head Coach in the NFL. Fuente is rumored to be Baylor’s top target and it’s likely his job if he wants it.
Virginia Tech will then be left to search for a replacement for Fuente and none other than Rich Rodriguez makes an awful lot of sense to replace Fuente. In fact, it makes almost too much sense for it to not happen.
Former West Virginia Head Coach Rich Rodriguez was recently not retained as Offensive Coordinator by Lane Kiffin, the new Ole Miss Head Coach. Although Ole Miss struggled to a 4-8 record, their offense made great strides under Rodriguez and he is widely recognized as one of the most brilliant offensive minds in college football today.
Rodriguez was recently quoted as saying, “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I would like to be a Head Coach again.”
This opportunity would be a perfect fit for Rodriguez. Back in 2015, when Rodriguez was the Head Coach at Arizona and Frank Beamer announced his retirement from Virginia Tech, Rodriguez was strongly considered before he withdrew his name from being considered for the position in order to stay at Arizona.
Virginia Tech’s current Athletic Director Whit Babcock, a WVU fundraiser for most of Rodriguez’s 2001-07 tenure there, highly respects Rich Rodriguez and this just seems like a match made in Hokie heaven.
Rodriguez would get another chance at a top tier program, Babcock would get the man that he always wanted to replace Beamer, and the rivalry between West Virginia and Virginia Tech would absolutely go to another level. Remember, the two schools will meet again in Morgantown on Sept. 18, 2021, with a second date scheduled in Blacksburg on Sept. 24, 2022.
Can you imagine the atmosphere at Mountaineer Field with hated rival Virginia Tech coming back to Morgantown with West Virginia’s most despised son returning as the team’s Head Coach?
