Tennessee Vols coaching candidate Justin Fuente

As Tennessee embarks on its fourth coaching search in ten years, here’s a quick look at Vols coaching candidate Justin Fuente.

Justin Fuente’s coaching experience (41 years old)

Wildly successful head coaching tenure at Memphis was parlayed into a gig at Virginia Tech, where he turned around a proud program with an ACC Championship Game appearance last year, and he’s followed it up with a solid 7-3 season so far for the Hokies (as of November 13). Prior to head coaching, he was an assistant (including offensive coordinator) at Illinois State and TCU.

GRT taxonomy of college football coaches: The Proven Winner, Level Three – Major Conference Contender (relatively new at Level Three, but proven at Level Four)

Why the Tennessee Vols might want Justin Fuente

There are few better offensive-minded coaches out there, and he is known for being a program builder. His system straight-up works, and though he’s quiet, he obviously knows how to motivate players, develop players and get the most out of them. UT fans would love the way the offense plays under him, and if he could make a strong defensive hire, he’d be a guaranteed hit in Knoxville. The only question mark is recruiting.

Why the Tennessee Vols might not want Justin Fuente

Other than some minor recruiting concerns, there’s the thought that he’s already at a destination job in Virginia Tech, which is a place that adores him. He doesn’t yearn for the burning spotlight of the SEC, and as a quiet guy, you could totally see him settling in to Blacksburg for a long, long time. He has a high buyout, but the number goes down in December. Can the Vols wait until then? If so, you’re essentially sacrificing a year of recruiting.