What does a program do after finishing with a 1-11 season? Head coach Tim Albin took over an AAC program in 2025, and the program won its only game against an FCS team, Monmouth. Even though the program has given time to Albin as he returns this year. But it still parted ways with its longtime AD, Mike Hill. Now, the AAC program is on their way to hire a former Clemson deputy AD in his place, hoping to win its first bowl game ever.

According to reports, the Charlotte 49ers are “expected to hire Kevin White” as the program’s new AD. White has been with Clemson since 2022 and has overseen both the football and basketball programs. Charlotte hired White after being impressed by his fundraising. “White’s background in fundraising at Clemson and beyond was appealing to the Charlotte brass,” Charlotte 49ers insider Jimmy Touchstone reported.

White has led several high-profile fundraising and donor engagement campaigns at Clemson. His efforts had led Clemson to partner with ESM, a high-profile marketing agency, which ultimately brought several NIL deals to its players. Apart from that, the former Clemson deputy AD also ushered in a partnership with Gray Media that contributed to the program getting exposure in over 15 million households in the southeast.

Most importantly, White played a crucial role in IPTAY, Clemson’s fundraising arm. During his time, IPTAY’s annual fund surpassed $40 million and stood at the top in the nation as the program got another $30 million in gifts. Never mind that the Chattanooga, Tennessee, native also led Clemson’s ticketing growth from $32 million to $38 million in 2023.

Moreover, since White has experience as COO at SMU and Deputy AD at Northwestern, where he handled a $110 million budget, Charlotte seems to be in good hands now. The Tennessee native also has a background in basketball at UNC as a player, and he has an MBA from Kennesaw State. All of these things will now come in handy in Charlotte, North Carolina, as he tries to help the team rise from a 51-113 overall record.

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Charlotte’s football program is relatively new, and the team played its first football season in 2013. Ever since then, even though the former FCS team moved to AAC in 2015, wins have been scarce. In the 2023 season, the program managed to compile a 5-7 record and accumulated a 3-9 record before that. The North Carolina program has made a bowl game just one time in 2019, which they lost 9-31 against the Buffalo Bills. Can Kevin White change that 0-1 bowl record?

How can Kevin White change Charlotte’s trajectory?

The First and foremost task Kevin will handle would be creating coaching stability within the program. Ever since the program’s inception in 2013, Charlotte has changed 4 coaches, and former Ohio head coach Tim Albin hasn’t yet shown success. Recruiting has been abysmal, and the 49ers’ 2026 class currently ranks 83rd nationally. However, the most glaring need is still revenue generation and NIL money.

Under previous AD Mike Hill, Charlotte had to raise $5 million in January 2026 to pay staff salaries and undertake “program upgrades.” Not to mention, the 49ers’ NIL spending was just $1.4 million in the 2025 season, a sum that can’t even buy good QBs in the current market. Though the team’s passionate fanbase had helped with 1,585 gifts totaling $821,032 in an April 2025 campaign, running a football program requires much more than the six-figure sum.

A consistent pipeline of donors and a partnership with top brands are much needed to sustain in the NIL era. White’s experience will enable just that for the team. Although the team’s athletic budget has increased to $49 million in 2025 from $29 million in 2018, the House v NCAA settlement now requires distributing a part (maximum $20.5 million) of that revenue to players. A lot needs to change for Charlotte, and it remains to be seen what steps Kevin White will take after arriving in Charlotte.