By: Cole Mantell (@lightningdragon)
While teams shuffle around every season, our second and final edition of the freshman AD series brings in a team that many fans have been looking forward to for a long time. Virginia Tech may be the most requested team to bring into the CFSL. For Season 21, fans will get their wish. Virginia Tech enters Season 21 as the only purely new expansion team in the CFSL. Oklahoma, under long-time AD Dustin Hall, also will be an expansion team in Season 21, though the Sooners have a long history in the CFSL. With only one true expansion team this season, all eyes are on Blacksburg and the new AD leading the charge.
Cory Mucci is a familiar name to most around the CFSL. He’s an experienced coach who has been a part of a few winning programs. He started at Miami, helping build one of the most complete teams in league history. While Miami never was able to get over the hump during the two dynasties of Oklahoma State and Kentucky, Miami was maybe one of the best teams in CFSL history to never win a championship. Mucci would then move over to Cincinnati, becoming assistant head coach and helping develop a team there that would make multiple playoff runs and become an underdog favorite around the league.
With Cincinnati folding, Mucci now moves into his first full permanent AD spot at Virginia Tech. And it’s a much bigger stage for the new AD. Virginia Tech enters a reformed ACC with stiff competition. UNC is coming off its first conference championship in team history. Florida State will always be a threat no matter the season under longtime AD Tom Pence. And Mucci is well aware of how good Miami can be, considering he is a former coach of the school. Still, Virginia Tech is a well-known, fun school in a conference that is known for being one of the most upset-friendly in the CFSL in recent seasons. There is opportunity amid the chaos, as usual, for this new team.
When asked what would help him succeed in Year 1 leading a new team, Mucci had this to say. “I’ve told all of my guys who have played with me before and all the recruits that I will never promise a [National Championship], only that I will work my ass off to give us the best shot. My focus this season and every season going forward is making my team enjoyable to play for and that starts in the locker room. We spend 90% of our time in the locker room, so if that is not a fun place to be, no amount of winning will keep our players engaged. [I want to] start a culture of fun, respect, and community, and the talent will always follow that, win or lose.”
This isn’t different from what many new ADs I’ve interviewed have said. It’s a common theme. Locker room culture can produce results, and for new ADs, it’s a way to build momentum as a new team. The Hokies have had a great first recruiting class, giving them some early wins before Week 1 even starts. Time will tell how that builds as the season moves along. Mucci, for the record, has a track record as a coach to show he can succeed on his own.
For someone who has been stationed in the military above the Arctic Circle, and who loves both metal music and Broadway, Mucci is a character and a half. He’s hoping to bring some of that energy into his coaching and turn it into wins, starting Week 1 for the brand new Virginia Tech Hokies squad. Best of luck, and welcome to the CFSL, Virginia Tech.
