Let's Set Odds: Who Will Be Virginia Tech's Next Head Coach?

Virginia Tech announced that head coach Justine Fuente and the school mutually agreed to part ways, opening up a sixth Power 5 job with two weeks left in the season.

Virginia Tech may fall behind some of the bigger brand schools such as USC and LSU, but this is a desirable ACC job still in the attainable Coastal Division. Given that the team made the move with the season still going on, they may be looking to get ahead of the coaching carousel and wrap this search up quickly.

While we wait to see who takes the job, let's set some odds for who will be the next Virginia Tech head coach.

Billy Napier, Head Coach, Louisiana-Lafayette (+250)

Napier is going to be one of the hottest names available this offseason after building the Ragin' Cajun into a Sun Belt powerhouse. With a 37-12 record, Napier may be ready to take the leap to a Power 5 school. While he may not draw the headlines that a school like USC or LSU would desire, Virginia Tech may suit him well.

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg suggested that he would be interested in the job on Monday.

Mike Elko, Defensive Coordinator, Texas A&M (+400)

Elko doesn't have head coaching experience, but does have ACC connections, DC at Wake Forest from 2014-2016. He has since made stops at Notre Dame and is now at Texas A&M, building one of the most consistent defensive programs in the country.

The time could be now for Elko to make the jump from coordinator to head coach.

Brent Venables, Defensive Coordinator, Clemson (+650)

Long time DC, Venables has become one of the best in the country, building a power hourse at Clemson with Dabo Swinney. Despite a down year for the Tigers, the defensive is still among the nation's elite, but maybe this is the time to move on and pursue a head coaching gig?

Venables would bring conference experience with him to the Virginia Tech gig, most certainly a plus with the Hokies entering a bit of a rebuild over the next few years.

Shane Beamer, Head Coach, South Carolina (+900)

Beamer is the son of long time Hokies coach Frank Beamer, who was in charge in Blacksburg from 1987-2015, but timing may be an issue here.

He is in the first year of his job at South Carolina, leading the Gamecocks to a 5-5 record so far this season. Is the idea of taking over the job his dad used to have enough to pull him from an SEC gig?

I'll leave the odds on that long at this point, but that would be one of the stories of the offseason.