We are in an era of college sports where things are changing rapidly. NIL is becoming a big part of sports, which turns the transfer portal into professional sports free agency. With a new era comes new rules and new job titles, and now general managers of programs.
On Tuesday, Virginia Tech women’s basketball coach Megan Duffy hired Stephen Fishler as the program's first general manager. He will oversee the Hokies' NIL and revenue spending, as well as having a big part in the roster construction for Duffy.
Fishler comes with a lot of experience in this field, serving in the same position at Rutgers, a school that the Hokies played in a home-and-home non-conference slate the last two seasons. Before Rutgers, he also worked with the Penn State program as a manager and graduate assistant.
“We are thrilled to welcome Stephen Fishler to Hokie Nation,” Duffy said. “As we continue to evolve into a new era of college athletics, a unique skill for our program’s development is critical. Stephen will be a perfect fit to support our student-athletes off the court. His ability to strategize, execute our vision, and cultivate relationships at Virginia Tech and beyond is a game changer.”
Virginia Tech and Duffy have added some big pieces to their roster this offseason for the 2025-26 season through the transfer portal. Melannie Daley (Northwestern), Kilah Freelon (Texas Tech), and Sophie Swanson (Purdue). They also have some promising incoming freshmen in Katie Sears, Amani Jenkins, and Anyia Trent.
Duffy does have some key players returning for next season, with Carleigh Wenzel, Carys Baker, and Kayl Petersen headlining some of the returning players from this past season’s roster.
In April, Virginia Tech men’s coach Mike Young hired a program general manager in Nelson Hernandez, which will also be a big boost to his program.