Virginia Tech receives an anonymous record-setting donation of support

There have been some major moves over the last couple of months in terms of money being pumped into the Virginia Tech athletic budget. Athletic director Whit Babcock led the charge to get the athletic department up to standards with other schools in the ACC in terms of being able to compete financially.

On Monday, Virginia Tech announced an anonymous gift commitment of $20 million that has been given to go along with the proposed $229 million investment budget plan for the athletic department. The proposed budget plan was a major factor in landing James Franklin as the school's next football coach, replacing Brent Pry.

"The anonymous gift commitment of $20 million follows the university’s announcement of an ambitious budget plan to better position teams to compete at the highest level. The gift will advance the university’s strategy — known as Invest to Win — to empower Virginia Tech Athletics to excel in the NCAA’s current Division I and Football Bowl Subdivision I landscapes,'' the school wrote in a press release.

Virginia Tech heading in the right direction financially

The previous biggest donation to the school was $15.2 million in 2017, but this $20 million is going to push the athletic budget up and be a major benefit for the programs and the school. Virginia Tech was near the bottom of the ACC in terms of budget and money to spend. This has been a landscape-changing last couple of months in Blacksburg. Franklin is grateful for the donation, according to Kolby Crawford of VTScoop.

“The passion of Virginia Tech fans is unmatched, and their continued generosity will help elevate our program. There’s a clear sense of excitement from our fans about where we’re headed. This unprecedented level of support is critical and creates powerful momentum for everything we’re building,'' Franklin said.

Times are changing in Blacksburg for the better.