Virginia Tech began its search for a new athletic director before Whit Babcock officially stepped down. In April, the school announced that Babcock would retire in June and remain with the Hokies as emeritus. After several months of searching, Virginia Tech landed on Brian White as its new AD. The process was not easy, and head coach James Franklin also played a role. Two days after White’s hiring was announced, Franklin explained how he helped the search committee.

“Kind of go through the first wave of the process, Zoom interviews, and things like that,” said Franklin during his June 24 appearance at the new AD’s introductory conference, as reported by SonsofSatVT. “And what I tried to do to help from my perspective is reach out to people that I have worked with.

“Because the reality is a lot of people can do a great job in an interview with the setting for an hour or two hours, but as coaches, we’re going to be working with this man for 14, 15, or 16 hours a day for the next however many years, and I wanted to make sure that we could talk to people that had already done that and people that I had relationships with that I trusted and that would tell us the truth. So that was really kind of what I tried to add to the process.”

“The more people I talked to, the more confident I became, and I tried again to give that information to the committee so that President [Tim] Sands could make the best decision.”

Before joining the Hokies, Brian White worked with FAU from 2018 to 2026. During his tenure, he led the Atlantic’s fundraising, ticket sales, and other growth of the athletic department to a high. Under his leadership, during the 2024-25 academic year, the school received a huge donation as part of corporate sponsorship: $26.4 million. His experience and ability grabbed Virginia Tech’s attention among other potential candidates.

“I think the other thing about Brian is the fact that he’s been there for going on nine years,” added Franklin. “All the success and some of the failures really give you an opportunity to evaluate the job he’s done, where maybe some other candidates have not been in this position as long. I think how truly impactful they were on the athletic department and the university gave us some comfort.”

White, who spent two seasons as associate AD at Army and later served as deputy AD at Missouri before joining FAU, called the Virginia Tech opportunity an exciting one.

“Virginia Tech is one of the distinctive brands in college athletics, and the passion of Hokie Nation, the commitment of university leadership, and the momentum already underway make this an extraordinary opportunity,” White said during a news release on Monday.

Virginia Tech President’s take on the search for new AD

“Our search centered on identifying the right person to navigate one of the most significant periods of change in the history of college athletics and position Virginia Tech to thrive for decades to come,” VT President Tim Sands said on Monday.

“Brian brings the strategic vision, operational excellence, financial acumen, and leadership presence necessary to guide a modern athletics enterprise. He understands where college athletics is headed, and he shares our belief that Virginia Tech can and should compete among the nation’s elite programs.”

White, 42 years old, has a proven resume of success. During his tenure at FAU, he hired two men’s basketball head coaches, who led the program to another level with a combined record of 162-100. The Owls even won a CUSA title under Dusty May, who now left FAU for an NBA job.

Virginia Tech football is coming off a 2025 season where they made a disappointing 3-9 record. Now, with James Franklin and the hiring of an experienced AD, a rise for the Hokies is expected in 2026.