There is a big shift in leadership coming at Virginia Tech in terms of athletics. Athletic director Whit Babcock is stepping aside after 12 years in Blacksburg, and the school officially hired Florida Atlantic athletic director Brian White this week after a 26-day search.
White had some success at FAU and hired Dusty May as his basketball coach, and what a hire that turned into. He led the Owls to the Final Four in 2023 before departing for Michigan, where he won the National Championship this past season. He recently left Ann Arbor for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA.
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White comes with a strong track record and is ready to lead Virginia Tech into a new era of Hokies athletics. This job was also appealing to White for one reason and a rather good one: James Franklin being Virginia Tech's football coach. During his introductory press conference on Wednesday, White dropped a bold prediction that is music to Hokies' fans' ears.
New Virginia Tech AD Brian White makes bold prediction about James Franklin in Blacksburg
White comes from a family that has a deep background in college athletics, which has been very successful. However, what appealed to him in taking the Virginia Tech job was could happen down the line and predicted that James Franklin is going to win a National Championship in Blacksburg.
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"I think Coach Franklin is one of the very best coaches in the country. He's going to win a national championship at Virginia Tech, and I want to be part of that," said White.
Now that's going to ruffle some feathers in State College with Penn State fans, but imagine Franklin winning a National Championship in Blacksburg? That would certainly be something. However, it's not all that far-fetched, as the path to the College Football Playoff is somewhat easier than in the Big Ten.
Franklin was on the search committee for the next hire and had a huge say in White getting hired. That's not surprising. President Tim Sands sat with White on the stage at his press conference, but like Babcock, he is also stepping aside after Franklin was hired. The future of Virginia Tech athletics is bright, and White is ready to lead it into a new era with some big-time assets available, starting with James Franklin as his football coach.
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