As expected, Virginia Tech hires Justin Fuente to replace Frank Beamer

Dan Wolken | USA TODAY Sports

Virginia Tech made official what had been common knowledge in the college football world for about a week, hiring Memphis' Justin Fuente to replace legend Frank Beamer.

Fuente did a remarkable job turning around the Memphis program, which had reached rock bottom when he took over in 2012. By his third season, he had gotten the Tigers to 10-3 and a share of the American Athletic Conference championship.

This year, despite having to replace a majority of starters on defense, he posted another 9-3 regular season including a victory over nationally ranked Ole Miss.

Fuente, a former offensive coordinator under Gary Patterson at TCU, is a no-nonsense personality who should thrive in the low-key environment of Blacksburg.

OFFICIAL NEWS Justin Fuente is Virginia Tech's next head football coach! #WelcomeHOME pic.twitter.com/KgFjwk6w7e — HokieSports (@hokiesports) November 29, 2015

He inherits one of the better situations in the ACC, though Virginia Tech has not played for a conference title since 2011.

Athletics director Whit Babcock wanted an offensive mind for this hire and moved aggressively to secure Fuente before the coaching market opened up. Fuente, a former quarterback at Oklahoma and then Murray State, developed Andy Dalton at TCU and Paxton Lynch at Memphis into NFL prospects.

“As our conversations progressed, we then met in person and it became obvious he is the right person to lead our football program,” Babcock said in a statement. “He possesses wisdom beyond his years, as well as a refreshing sense of humility and a calm confidence.”

Bud Foster will stay on as defensive coordinator, retaining the job he has held since 1995.

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