Bowen's statement reads: "Our administration has been working proactively with Coach (Justin) Fuente and his representatives on a new contract for several weeks. He has been very engaged and deeply appreciative throughout the process. We are very close to finalizing an agreement and look forward to making a formal announcement at an appropriate time. Dr. Rudd (University of Memphis President M. David Rudd) and I are both extremely excited about continuing to build the Memphis Football program under Coach Fuente's leadership."
Fuente, 38, is in his third and most successful season with the Tigers. After a promising 4-8 campaign in 2012 with a rebuilding team, Memphis lost more games in 2013, going 3-9, but according to many including Fuente, looked better. The university ran a campaign for the football team called "Wait til' this year," and were spot on as the Tigers finished 9-3 (7-1) with at least a share of the team's first conference championship since 1971, and the first bowl appearance since 2008.
Fuente was considered a hot coaching candidate this off-season with his resume combining success in turning Memphis around, and developing offensive players as offensive coordinator at TCU from 2007-2011, including current Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton and New York Jets wide receiver Jeremy Kerley.
Fuente's current contract expires in 2017, and pays him $1.06 million with up to $725,000 in incentives.
Copyright 2014 WMC Action News 5. All rights reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment