Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 19h

15. Will Stein (OC at Oregon)

I doubt Virginia Tech hires someone without head coaching experience this time around but if there was one candidate who might breakthrough, it's Stein at Oregon. He would have to crush the interview though.

Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 19h

14. Ryan Silverfield (HC at Memphis)

The Hokies went to the Memphis well once, could they do it again? I doubt it. I'm not sold Silverfield is an elite coach and Memphis has produced several coaches that failed elsewhere, including Fuente at VT, and soon to be Norvell at FSU.

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Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 19h

13. Jimbo Fisher (Unemployed)

Fisher isn't much of a fit but with the ACC media deal favoring eyeballs, Fisher would bring eyeballs to Blacksburg. He's also won a national title. I'm not a huge fan of him but I would understand it if the Hokies opted to interview him.

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Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 19h

12. Charles Huff (HC at So. Miss)

Huff was a candidate when the Hokies hired Pry back in 2022. After a Sun Belt championship at Marshall, he could be a candidate again this time around. A Saban disciple and 757 native, Huff is a darkhorse in this search.

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Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 19h

11. Pat Fitzgerald (Unemployed)

Fitzgerald was fired at Northwestern after a hazing scandal. He recently won his wrongful termination lawsuit clearing his name. While his overall record is mediocre, winning at Northwestern is tough. Fitz would be a great culture fit at VT. But, what's his ceiling?

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Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 19h

10. Alex Golesh (HC at USF)

Golesh has done an extremely good job this season at USF after middling 7-6 campaigns to begin his career in Tampa. I'm not sold Golesh's personality would do well in Blacksburg and to me, this is Fuente 2.0 but with more resources I could see him being successful.

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Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 19h

9. Manny Diaz (HC at Duke)

Listen, this might not be an exciting hire but Diaz has proven himself to be a really high quality coach. Albeit, one with a lower ceiling than other candidates. He's still 24-12 all-time in the ACC and has Duke rolling right now.

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Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 19h

8. P.J. Fleck (HC at Minnesota)

Fleck has been a hot name for a decade now but I do feel like his profile has cooled off some. That's unfortunate as he's still a really solid coach. I'm not sure if Fleck would be interested but if he's plateaued at Minnesota, he may want a new opportunity

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Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 19h

7. Bob Chesney (HC at JMU)

The Hokies went down I-81 a decade ago and hired Kenny Brooks. Could they do it again? Chesney is a really solid coach and could represent Virginia Tech's floor in this coaching search. There are more proven options but Chesney's ceiling as a coach is very high.

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Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 19h

6. Fran Brown (HC at Syracuse)

Brown fluctuates on my list and it's possible that losing his QB will keep him in upstate New York for another year. But, it's hard not to be impressed with the job he's doing at Syracuse.

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Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 19h

5. Shane Beamer (HC at South Carolina)

Beamer is the obvious candidate. The reason he's not higher on my list is he's still relatively unproven. Yes, 2024 was a great season but South Carolina may not make a bowl in 2025. South Carolina is a tough place to win but is Virginia Tech much easier?

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Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 19h

4. James Franklin (Unemployed)

Franklin might opt to take a few years off and enjoy his $49 million buyout package. If he does, no one can blame him. While I'm leery that Franklin's best coaching days are ahead of him, he is arguably the best coach VT could ever hope to lure.

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Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 19h

3. Jon Sumrall (HC at Tulane)

Sumrall represents the best of the up-and-coming coaches class and is an impressive coach, having won both at Tulane and Troy thus far in his career. He's a strong leader and a good evaluator of talent. He is a UK grad and that job may come open this year though.

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Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 19h

2. Dan Mullen (HC at UNLV)

Mullen said this week that he'll be in Las Vegas next year but we all know money talks. Mullen was successful at Miss State but was fired at UF. His stint at UF (34-15) looks great compared to Napier. I love Mullen and would be very happy if he's the guy.

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Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 19h

1. Matt Campbell (HC at Iowa State)

For me, the search starts and potentially ends with Campbell. If he wants the job, it's his. He's affordable from a buyout standpoint and is the best pure football coach that is realistically available to Virginia Tech. He is also a strong culture fit.

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Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 19h

My #VirginiaTech head coach Big Board.

#Hokies #CollegeFootball #NCAA #NCAAFootball

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Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 1d

One Battle After Another is a great movie. Enjoyed it more than Licorice Pizza, surprisingly. Also, the 2nd act of the film is probably the most tense, anxious I've been watching a movie since Uncut Gems. Just phenomenal pacing and ratcheting up the tension.

Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 1d

Hear me out…

Conservative Conversion Therapy. A place to send your crazy uncle to get converted into an ardent socialist.

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 1d

Inside the movement to resurrect conversion therapy

First they tried to "cure" gayness. Now they're fixated on "healing" trans people.

Inside the movement to resurrect conversion therapy.

www.motherjones.com

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Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 2d

Pretty sunset tonight in North Carolina.

Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 4d

This college football season has been wild.

Who's going to win the Heisman? No idea.

Who's going to win the national title? No idea.

Is Penn State going to make a bowl? No idea.

Is Mike Norvell the head coach of Florida State on November 1, just 9 weeks after beating Alabama? No idea.

Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 5d

a man in a suit and tie is saying " please god just let this end "

ALT: a man in a suit and tie is saying " please god just let this end "

media.tenor.com

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Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 5d

Jesus Christ.

Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 5d

I would like to go to bed. Can someone please score a run.

Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 5d

I would like to go to bed. Can someone please score a run.

Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 5d

#Hokies

CJ Fogler @cjzero.bsky.social · 5d

Kerry Carpenter hammers a 2 run homer and Detroit leads 2-1

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Justin Clark @justinclark.bsky.social · 6d

This is more problematic in IDP leagues where IDP players can score wildly week-to-week. Just understanding who scores the most average points per week without having to click on each player would be helpful.