Whit Babcock, like him or not, this man did the best he could for VT.
You can't say he did not try, and with what some would say, was working with one hand behind his back (lack of funding) I think he did a great job when you consider the resources.
I think his struggle to speak publicly combined with a fanbase frustrated with limited resources caused his popularity to dip, but that is part of the job.
I have always felt like Whit would find a way, and I truly think (whether he gets credit or not) the Franklin hire was his Swan Song. Pushing for more money and making sure of the timing of it, and his part of the discussions with Franklin sealed the deal, so at the very least, he gets partial credit for Franklin.
Good Job Whit, thanks for your help, and appreciate you looking after things until you retire.
Cheers and Go HOkies!!!
** Edited by jonnyhawk at 4/23/2026, 5:09:01 PM
42 Replies
3mo
I’ll tell you why… he was more interested in Olympic Sports and milked the football cash cow for all it was worth.
Now he retires after the worse VT football record in 50+ years.
This guy was the AD of the VT athletic department that ran the football program into the ground.
Ditto for Sands … he was Whit’s boss.
Good grief! 🤯
(In response to this post by jonnyhawk)
3mo
Whit knew the tide was turning in college football and a major divide coming between the have and have nots. He gambled on Fuente. Swung for the fence with big money and taking the all or none risk. He lost. Fuente was a bust and we haven't recovered financially (even in 2026).
Why do I commend him? He took a shot. If he wouldn't have done so and would have played it safe or plain vanilla like Weaver always did and still would have, we would still be outside of the giant divide in 2026. This is why I commend him..He had the balls to try and swing for the fence because we were down 3-0 and the bases were loaded and we had 2 outs and 3 strikes in the 9th inning anyway, so swing away. Unfortunately, he missed. But again, if it were Weaver, his playing it safe conservatism would have landed us slowly in the same position as today and we wouldn't have had a chance to be on the other side of the have nots. Whit at least gave us a chance. He gambled. But.....he did lose.
(In response to this post by jonnyhawk)
3mo
Money on the Baseball Stadium.. among others.. and was not good staffing the Hokie Club.. IMHO
(In response to this post by 40ozDistrict)
3mo
At the time of publishing, this article opened the eyes of a lot of those stuck in the past.
(In response to this post by 40ozDistrict)
3mo
Unfortunately, the "best he could" was severely lacking in ability.
(In response to this post by Brewing_Hokie)
3mo
On a serious note. I thought he tried and did his best and not to beat a dead horse, but the gamble on Fuente (the new contract) was an absolute massive gamble that would reshape VT (if it worked out) as a likely chance to be on the side of the "haves" with the upcoming great divide in college football, which he did forsee, between a few "haves" and mostly the remaining "have nots". He lost that gamble. I give him props for gambling and taking that bet because we had to. He simply rolled the dice and lost.
(In response to this post by Brewing_Hokie)
3mo
Had not allowed JB to undermine Fu and to actually fund Fu and the program well. He gambled being a cheapo, not being a leader, and not wanting anyone else to help run things and he lost.
(In response to this post by Hate2SeeItEnd Hokie)
3mo
Hire Fuente if he was treated so unfairly?
(In response to this post by Brewing_Hokie)
3mo
On family. Dude has generational wealth, why go through the grind?
(In response to this post by Planner_Hokie)
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RJHokie
3mo
** Edited by RJHokie at 4/24/2026, 1:22:52 PM
(In response to this post by Planner_Hokie)
3mo
And Boom, we land Franklin and BobsYourUncle!
No Whit.......No Franklin......No Banana.
Simple
(In response to this post by Brewing_Hokie)
3mo
He wasn't the AD only for the year of 2025. He was the AD for many other years prior to 2025, and all of those make up his body of work. Overall, I give him an A for innovation and effort, a C for success, so final grade....B. Not great, not bad. Above average.
(In response to this post by jonnyhawk)
3mo
(In response to this post by jonnyhawk)
3mo
He had nothing to do with pushing meeting
(In response to this post by Brewing_Hokie)
3mo
Whit Babcock was instrumental in advocating for a larger budget for Virginia Tech's athletics department. He emphasized the need for increased funding to compete at the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), stating that the current budget was insufficient for the university's goals. Babcock's efforts led to a proposal for a significant increase in athletic department funding, which was ultimately approved by the Board of Visitors
(In response to this post by hokie24210)
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RJHokie
3mo
The BOV initiated that presentation.
(In response to this post by jonnyhawk)
3mo
Babcock provided the impetus: On August 18, 2025, Whit Babcock gave a 61-minute presentation to the BOV, warning that Virginia Tech was falling behind ACC peers due to a budget and resources "arms race".
He named the price: He explicitly stated that if the board wanted the Hokies to perform at the top of the conference, they needed to invest closer to $200 million annually, rather than the baseline $122 million.
The BOV took the lead on the plan: Following the presentation, Rector John Rocovich directed board members J. Pearson and Ryan McCarthy to work with campus leadership and Babcock to create the formal financial plan.
(In response to this post by Brewing_Hokie)
3mo
The $229 million athletic budget increase at Virginia Tech was initiated by athletic director Whit Babcock, who presented a dire need for more resources to the Board of Visitors (BOV) in August 2025, rather than it being an original initiative of the Board itself.
Key Details of the Budget Initiative:
The Impetus (Babcock's Move): In August 2025, Babcock presented to the Board, detailing that VT’s athletic funding was 14th out of 18 in the ACC ($122 million annually) and that the department needed to be closer to $200 million annually to compete with top teams. He told the board, "We cannot keep taking pride in doing more with less".
The BOV Response: While Babcock provided the impetus, the board took the request seriously and immediately charged members J. Pearson and Ryan McCarthy to lead a task force to build a financial plan.
The Result: The Board overwhelmingly approved a $229.2 million, four-year budget increase on September 30, 2025, which, according to the university, was to ensure the school could remain relevant in a "new kind of arms race".
(In response to this post by Brewing_Hokie)
3mo
WHIT TO GIVE THE PRESENTATION AND GET IT READY. CC, Scoop, every good insider have said this.
(In response to this post by jonnyhawk)
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HokieNL
3mo
(In response to this post by Brewing_Hokie)
3mo
Maybe I misunderstood but that is crazy if you are. Please tell me you are not. The only thing I associate with GC is credibility and really well put together arguments.
(In response to this post by HokieNL)
3mo
And we are going 12-0....this season!
** Edited by jonnyhawk at 4/23/2026, 7:08:51 PM
(In response to this post by Brewing_Hokie)
3mo
(In response to this post by jonnyhawk)
3mo
Outta luck 😜
(In response to this post by jonnyhawk)
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HokieNL
3mo
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HokieNL
3mo
** Edited by HokieNL at 4/23/2026, 7:45:02 PM
(In response to this post by HokieNL)
3mo
You like apples? How you like them apples.
** Edited by jonnyhawk at 4/23/2026, 7:12:04 PM
(In response to this post by HokieNL)
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HokieNL
3mo
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HokieNL
3mo
(In response to this post by Brewing_Hokie)
3mo
You problem
(In response to this post by HokieNL)