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Oklahoma football: Former OU player a top candidate for Baylor coaching job

By Chip Rouse

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 02: Head coach Justin Fuente of the Virginia Tech Hokies looks on before the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium on November 02, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 02: Head coach Justin Fuente of the Virginia Tech Hokies looks on before the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium on November 02, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /
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Former Oklahoma football player and now head coach Justin Fuente is reported to be a top candidate for the job at Baylor.

ESPN senior writer Mark Schlabach is reporting that Fuente, currently the head coach at Virginia Tech, might be Baylor’s top choice to replace Matt Rhule, who left to take the job as head coach of the NFL Carolina Panthers.

The 43-year-old Fuente has been at Virginia Tech for four seasons, compiling a 33-20 record during that time. Before that, he served as head coach at Memphis, where his teams went 26-23 in four seasons.

A native Oklahoman, born and raised in Tulsa, Fuente played at Oklahoma for two seasons, in 1996 and ’97, under head coach John Blake. He redshirted in the 1995 season, the one season Howard Schnellenberger coached at OU.

Fuente replace Eric Moore as the Sooner starting quarterback one game into the 1996 season. He started eight games that season, going 3-5 as the starter. He threw for 1,271 yards and eight touchdowns with 10 interceptions. The following season, he opened as the starter at QB, but only for five games. He was 2-3 in the games he started.

After the 1997 season, Fuente transferred to Murray State, where he completed his final two years of eligibility. He was the Ohio Conference Offensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Walter Payton Award in 1999.

ESPN’s Schlabach also reported that Baylor interim coach Joey McGuire, who has been an assistant on the staff at Baylor for three seasons, is a popular choice among Baylor players to become the permanent choice. Other strong considerations are head coaches Bryan Harsin of Boise State and Billy Napier of Louisiana.

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