Whit Babcock Rejects False Speculation that Justin Fuente is on the Hot Seat

Editor

August 20, 2019, 03:00 AM

Since the Sports Illustrated story on the 2018 Virginia Tech football team and the aftershocks from it, there have been all sorts of reaction including some speculation as to whether Justin Fuente could be on the hot seat. Unsurprisingly, there is no truth to that as Virginia Tech AD Whit Babcock so eloquently stated in a single word earlier today in a response to a question linked to an interview on Charlotte sports radio station WFNZ. https://twitter.com/techlunchpaild/status/1163888242267234305?s=20 Babcock's response may have come in part from a story on the website of Charlotte sports radio station WFNZ based on an appearance from Ross Dellinger of Sports Illustrated though the basis of the story, that Dellinger suggested on air that Fuente is on the hot seat this season, is inaccurate based on the portion of the interview that addressed the original question. Dellinger, understandably so, also denied on Twitter that he said anything about Fuente being on the hot seat. https://twitter.com/RossDellenger/status/1163888462279389184?s=20 From listening to the interview, what Dellinger did say to WFNZ was that Whit Babcock told him that he felt that this would be a "big" year for the football program. That makes a whole lot of sense with an ACC Coastal that appears wide open among the expected top 3 of Virginia Tech, Miami, and Virginia with the Hokies returning a significant amount of experience even if they once again have single-digit number of seniors. In contrast, another 6-win season for Virginia Tech (which would end the bowl streak given need for 7 wins with 2 FCS opponents) would likely lead to Fuente actually being on the hot seat in 2020, but no sooner than that if at all. Of course, given the roster that the Hokies have, all signs point towards a minimum of an 8 to 9 win season with winning the ACC Coastal being a reasonable goal that Fuente and company haven't tried to downplay in the buildup to this season, another sign of the significantly greater confidence coming out of Blacksburg this fall compared to last year. In conclusion, Justin Fuente isn't on the hot seat as Whit Babcock so eloquently stated and if you're looking for someone to say that Fuente actually is this season, you're probably in a very small minority that doesn't include Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellinger. The best news out of this, Virginia Tech starts their 2019 football season in 11 days.