After 26 days of searching, Virginia Tech hired its new Athletics Director, Brian White.
White comes to Blacksburg from Florida Atlantic University, where he served in the same position for eight years. He has also filled high-ranking roles at the University of Missouri, West Point, Louisiana Tech, and Tulsa.
White's introductory press conference covered many topics, from navigating the current landscape of college athletics to his professional philosophy, all of which offered insight into how he planned to approach his new position. Here are the biggest takeaways from his first interface with Hokie Nation.
1. Revenue generation will be a top priority.
Unsurprisingly, White emphasized the importance of increasing Virginia Tech's resources to compete at the highest level, addressing the issue throughout the press conference.
"It starts with the people in place and having a really, really good staff, systems, and accountability," White said. "Functioning like a business, I think, is important...I know what it needs to look like, and I've proven that over the years at different places and growing revenues, and I believe we can grow revenues here significantly from all sides. I think that there's a great, strong, passionate fanbase in place and great history here. We have all the resources necessary to grow our resources and give our coaches and student athletes the necessary investment in order to win championships."
White's track record supports his confident response. At Florida Atlantic, he secured $72 million for The Schmidt Family Complex for Academic and Athletic Excellence, which opened in 2020. Additionally, under his watch, the Owls renovated FAU's basketball arena and football stadium, including outfitting the venue with premium seating, a must in today's college sports landscape. In 2024-25, White helped raise a program-record $26.4 million in donations in 2024-25, a 625% increase from 2021. He also helped raise program highs in revenue during a three-year stretch in which the Owls generated $2.5 billion, $2.5 billion, and $3.3 billion, respectively.
Coming on the heels of the largest donation in Virginia Tech history earlier this month, White's hire aims to maintain the momentum buoying the Merryman Center by further aligning resources, which will likely be a consistent theme over the next several years. Further, White described Hoke Ventures, the new business model approved by Virginia Tech's Board of Visitors several weeks ago that centers on revenue generation to fund the school's Invest to Win initiative, as "a huge asset." He also said that he'd already been in touch with schools with similar models to learn more about how they've used them, indicating he'll likely embrace the new university-wide approach to generating revenue to fund athletics.
2. White is prepared for the job.
Although his move to Virginia Tech represents a step up from the Group of 4 level, White appeared ready to hit the ground running, unintimidated by the challenges awaiting him.
"I feel very ready, White said. "I haven't been an AD for eight years, heck, I would have felt ready 15 years ago before I ever was one, because that's just my nature. But I'm ready for this opportunity, and having the experience of building a program at Florida Atlantic has really prepared me for this opportunity where I won't be learning on the job; I'll be ready for the job on day one."
Part of the reason why White may feel so prepared is his family's esteemed reputation in the business. His father, Kevin, was the Athletics Director at Tulane, Arizona State, Notre Dame, and Duke. His brother, Danny, is currently Tennessee's AD. Needless to say, there's no shortage of tips and tricks of the trade to learn in the White household.
Additionally, he's accomplished quite a bit in his career already. Although some may point out that he lacks Power 4 conference experience, success is success, and when he's achieved so much in the realm of fundraising and program building, areas sorely lacking at Virginia Tech, it's hard not to believe him when he says he's ready for the role.
3. Football will continue to be king in Blacksburg under White's watch.
Despite White's insistence that all 22 Virginia Tech sports can win with the proper investment, it wasn't difficult to see which of them would be the focal point under his regime.
During his opening remarks, White mentioned football coach James Franklin, specifically, saying that working with him made Virginia Tech an attractive position.
"The opportunity to work with Coach Franklin is really, really exciting," White said. "I think he's one of the very best coaches in the country. I think he's going to win a national championship at Virginia Tech, and I want to help him do it. That fires me up."
It shouldn't be surprising to hear the Hokies' new AD say the quiet part out loud. Football has and likely always will be the driving force of Virginia Tech sports. But his central focus on Franklin's program makes clear where his attention will likely gravitate toward as he begins his tenure in Blacksburg.
