Joe Jones played for Virginia Tech from 1980-1984 under Bill Dooley, who was the Hokies head football coach from 1978-1986. After playing a few years in the NFL and serving as a graduate assistant coach early on in Frank Beamer’s tenure, Jones, a native of Windber, Pennsylvania, has spent the majority of his professional career coaching in the state of Virginia’s high school ranks. In 2008 he took over as varsity football head coach at King’s Fork High School (Suffolk, VA), where he has been for the last eight seasons.

In eight seasons with Chris Scott as its head coach, Ocean Lakes High School’s (Virginia Beach, VA) varsity football program became a dominant force, reaching the 6A state championship multiple times and capturing the title in 2014. Scott resigned this past January and accepted the same position with Virginia Beach private school Bishop Sullivan, paving the way for Jones to become the third Dolphins varsity football coach in school history. Jones was officially named to the post on February 8.

The former Hokie football star took some time for a feature “Q&A” to discuss a variety of topics, including Virginia Tech football, Frank Beamer, Justin Fuente, Ocean Lakes, recruiting and much more. Part 1 of this feature focuses on Virginia Tech and, more specifically, the transition from the Frank Beamer era to the Justin Fuente era.

You knew Virginia Tech football before and after the era Frank Beamer served as head coach. Can you put into words what he did for the program and how far it has come?

...