On Dec. 18, the University of Memphis and football coach Justin Fuente agreed to terms on a new five-year contract.
Fuente led the Tigers to one of their greatest seasons ever in 2014 with a 9-3 regular season mark and a share of their first conference title since 1971, plus a historic bowl win against BYU in the Miami Beach Bowl, four days later after signing the new contract. He was also named the American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
U of M President David Rudd said in a press release, that Fuente has attracted and retained the right student-athletes at the U of M.
“He (Fuente) is a proven winner in and out of the classroom and has demonstrated a remarkable capacity to attract, retain and develop student-athletes that have been wonderful ambassadors of our University and the City of Memphis,” Rudd said.
Fuente’s salary is expected to go from $1 million annually to $1.4 million, according to Sports Illustrated. His buyout clause will remain at $500,000.
Fuente arrived at Memphis in 2011 from TCU, whom he had been with since 2007 as quarterbacks coach and later co-offensive coordinator, helping develop future NFL starting quarterback Andy Dalton in his time with the Horned Frogs.
The man Fuente was replacing, Larry Porter, had gone 3-21 in his two seasons at the helm and left U of M football with a huge mountain to climb to get back to relevancy.
Though in his first two seasons as coach Fuente went only 7-16, there were signs of encouragement and they all came to fruition this season.
Sophomore quarterback Paxton Lynch had one of the finest seasons a U of M quarterback has had with 35 total touchdowns and leading Memphis to the 22nd ranked offense in the nation averaging 36.5 points per game. It also helped justify Fuente’s decision to start him over senior quarterback Jacob Karam two seasons ago, which in the long run allowed Lynch to gain valuable experience even if his freshman numbers weren’t pretty last season (9 touchdowns to 10 interceptions).
The defense has also improved year-to-year and was 11th in the country in points allowed, giving up only 19.5 points per game.
U of M Athletic Director Tom Bowen said, in the same press release, that they are excited Fuente signed the new contract and that they can now move forward.
“Our football program has enjoyed unprecedented success under Coach Fuente’s leadership,” Bowen said. “The future of Tiger football is very bright and we look forward to the opportunity to build upon our success in the days and years ahead.”
