Virginia Tech Head Football Coach Search Committee; Whit Babcock's Talk with Bill Roth

On Friday, October 3, Virginia Tech President Tim Sands and athletic director announced the formation of an eight-member search committee that is tasked with identifying the next football coach. The news release detailed the members of the committee, a group that Babcock said "brings star power, experience and a true passion for Virginia Tech."

Bruce Arians - Arians played quarterback for Virginia Tech from 1971-1974 and then transitioned into coaching as a graduate assistant upon his graduation. He was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2022. He has held coaching positions in both college and the NFL until his retirement from coaching in the NFL at the end of the 2021 season. He is a two-time AP NFL Coach of the Year and won Super Bowl LIV in 2020 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Bridge Ryan Berman - Berman is a 1982 graduate of Virginia Tech and is currently the Vice President of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association Board. She has an extensive career at the top levels of business, including serving as the former CEO of Victoria’s Secret and Giorgio Armani . the COO of Apple Retail, and the Global Group President of Ralph Lauren

Lynn Doughtie - Doughtie is a 1985 graduate of Virginia Tech.  She is the retired Chairman and CEO of KPMG and is currently a member of Boeing’s Board of Directors. Doughties is a nationally recognized figure in the business world, having been named to Accounting Today’s Top 100 Influential People, the National Association of Corporate Directors’ 100 more influential people in the boardroom, and Glassdoor’s list of Top CEOs.

Bud Foster - Bud Foster is one of the most recognizable figures in Virginia Tech football history. A fixture at Virginia Tech from 1987 when he followed Frank Beamer to Virginia Tech from Murray State, Foster built legendary defenses from 1995 until his retirement in 2019. He was awarded the 2000 American Football Coaches Association Defensive Coordinator of the Year in 2000 and the Broyles Award for the best assistant coach in 2006.  Foster has been in an advisory role in the athletic department since 2020.

Brad Hobbs - A 1990 graduate of Virginia Tech and former Board of Visitors member, Hobbs is the President and CEO of Air Control Concepts, one of the largest engineered product distribution companies. He is also a leader in the HVAC industry.

Ryan McCarthy - Currently a Virginia Tech Board of Visitors member, McCarthy is a graduate of VMI and Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. He served in the U.S. Army as a ranger from 1997-2002 during the invasion of Afghanistan.  McCarthy  worked on the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs and served as the Secretary of the Army from 2019-21.

J. Pearson - A 1987 graduate and  member of the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech, Pearson is another current member of the Board of Visitors. He founded Carry-On Trailer, the largest trailer manufacturer in the world, and Vehicle Accessory Inc., the leading supplier of vehicle accessories in the country.

Eddie Royal - A 2007 graduate, Royal played wide receiver for Virginia from 2004-07 where he was named First Team All-ACC in 2007. A member of Virginia Tech’s conference championship in its first year in the ACC, Royal was selected in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. After a 9-year playing career in the NFL with the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, and Chicago Bears, Royal became a studio and in-game analyst with ESN’s ACC Network.

Sands lauded the committee in the school’s release, “This committee represents the spirit and strength of Virginia Tech athletics and Hokie Nation at the highest level. I am confident in their ability to identify a coach who can lead our football program with passion and integrity, inspire our student-athletes to excel and position the Hokies to deliver the sustained success that our university community and fans expect and deserve.”

Along with the release, AD Whit Babcock spoke with Voice of the Hokies, Bill Roth, on a podcast (found here on Spotify) that covers the committee announcement, the Board of Visitors vote to increase the athletic budget, and more.  They led off the podcast recognizing that the Board of Visitors vote to increase the athletic budget into the top tier of the ACC is a monumental game changer.

Speaking about how the extra revenue will be invested immediately, or what fans may expect to see, Babcock indicated that the majority of the initial money in the current 2026 fiscal year will be targeted at football: “the next permanent (his words) head coach, better assistant and staff salaries, an enhanced recruiting budget, a more comprehensive front office structure, and some facility upgrades and improving fan amenities.” He did say that some other sports will benefit from the funds, and that the administration has a plan.

Babcock also pointed out there will be a focus on BOV oversight, with direct measurables to gauge the return on investment (ROI). 

He said, “It isn’t just hand the AD a checkbook for $47.1 million this year.”

Donations and the Fans

Roth honed in on philanthropy as one of the key sources of increased funds. As if in response to unspoken skepticism that donor money is not guaranteed, Babcock said, “We operate with a high degree of confidence” and that “it can come from a number of different sources.” He did point out that the Hokie Club and University Advancement raised over $225 million and said staff from those two organizations will lead the development of donation resources. The funding increase will not just be on the back of Hokie Club donors or increasing ticket prices. 

He acknowledged that it is not the easiest ask of donors as we “have not performed up to expectations in football. Hopefully, the university putting skin in the game inspires our university Hokie Club donors to come along with us.” Of course, the goal is to sustain this beyond the next four years.

When Roth pointed to the Hokie fan attendance at the Wofford game to support an 0-3 Virginia Tech team, Babcock responded that “It blows me away…with not meeting expectations over the past few years in football, all we want to do is reward them back with their passion. They have been doing their part; it is time for us to do our part….man, they (fans) are the best. They showed up for the Wofford game. It brought tears to my eyes…”

Hiring a New Head Coach

Roth pivoted to the timeline for hiring the next Virginia Tech football coach. According to Babcock, the search committee will begin work next week. The naming of the head coach will occur when it occurs.” He noted that announcements of this kind typically occur at the end of the season.

He said the “search will be broad and comprehensive….We have a wonderful opportunity to present to our next head coach with the increased funding and the amazing fan base that draws national interest. We have tradition here. We have a fertile recruiting region. All of this together should open up some options for head coach candidates and staffing that we may not have been able to reach as easily in the past.”

Roth followed that up with the question, “Is Virginia Tech positioned to pay $8 to $10 million dollars a year for its next head coach?”  Babcock’s ultimate response, “Yes. With the right coach and the budget very similar to Florida State, we could certainly do that..” He did point out that the head coach, ten full time assistants, support staff, etc make it a more comprehensive total.

The committee will identify the top two to four candidates before passing it to the “hiring authorities” -  Whit Babcock, President Tim Sands and the rector of the Board of Visitors John Rocovich. 

Roth and Babcock both thought the “Virginia Tech head coaching position has been an attractive job, and will be even more so when candidates see the alignment and commitment of the AD, the Board, and the President.”

Babcock's Role

Babcock’s “role will be to advise and support the committee…maybe provide “some lessons learned.” When asked about his input, Babcock zeroed in on hoping the committee will use analytics in evaluating coaching candidates beyond the eye test. Among his examples were stats that have become synonymous with Virginia Tech's recent ailments - record in 1-loss games, record when leading at half-time, record when trailing at half-time, and others.

General Manager

Speaking about the General Manager role, Babcock detailed the likely components of a front office that will “look like an NFL model.”

There was consideration of hiring a GM before the head coach, but the committee and decision-makers realized that it could hinder the coaching search.

After internal discussions and conversations with agents, it was determined that “If we put a GM in place that our next head coach has no relation with, it could severely limit our head coach candidate pool. And we certainly don’t want that. The head coach will come first and will have input into the whole front office and hires. Even in the NFL, the head coach is often hired first.” Acknowledging that college football is not likely ready for an NFL-type setup, Babcock used the example of Ole Miss’s Lane Kiffin and General Manager Billy Glasscock, who work closely in a 50-50 power relationship.

Babcock's Legacy

Lastly, when it comes to Babcock twelves years as AD at VIrginia Tech, he acknowledged the frustration the fans have felt over the lack of football success over the last decade. “It has weighed heavily on him,” he said. “The funding will help a little bit, but I don’t want to make past funding an excuse. We certainly should have performed better and met expectations. The buck stops with me on that. I  hired the coach, and we simply have not been good enough. I own it. I am incredibly motivated to change that narrative.”

A line stands out: the funding increase will “minimize the risk of mediocrity.” 

While the goal is to compete for ACC championships and, ultimately national relevancy, it feels like the obvious near-term goal is to rise from the cycle of mediocrity Virginia Tech has been stuck in since before Frank Beamer’s retirement.

Follow the Sons of Saturday for more coverage of this momentous time in Virginia Tech athletics, including this video on the Hard-hitting Questions following the Hokies Athletics Budget Approval.