BLACKSBURG, VA (WTKR)- Whit Babcock has had a busy and eventful 12 years as Virginia Tech's Director of Athletics. This summer will see him begin a new chapter with the Hokies.
Babcock will retire from his athletic director post on June 30, according to an athletic department release sent Thursday. He will transition to a role as Athletic Director Emeritus and be a special advisor to the university president and new athletic director.
“Serving as Virginia Tech’s Director of Athletics has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Babcock said in the release. “For me and my family, this wasn’t just a career stop, it was my dream job and a homecoming of sorts. To return to Virginia, to serve this university, and to be part of a community that lives and breathes Hokie sports, has meant more than words can express."
Babcock has led the Virginia Tech athletic program since January of 2014, overseeing the hiring of numerous coaches, guiding the Hokies through the changing landscape of college athletics and watching his teams win plenty of ACC titles. During Babcock’s tenure, Virginia Tech teams captured more conference championships over a 12-year stretch than at any other time in school history. Of the Hokies’ 46 ACC titles, 30 have come with Babcock at the helm.
However, the team's cornerstone program of football never regained national prominence during the 12-year stretch. James Franklin's hiring in 2025 marked the third head football coach at the school since Frank Beamer's retirement after the 2015 campaign. Beamer's successor, Justin Fuente was shown the door two weeks prior to conclusion of the 2021 season after a 43-31 showing and Brent Pry was fired three games into the 2025 campaign after posting a 16-24 record. The university, as well as its fans, hope that bringing Franklin on board will return the Hokies to competing for national titles on the gridiron.
“It weighs heavily on me that we have not yet reached the level of football success our fans so deeply deserve," Babcock said. "This program means too much to too many for anything less. I am confident that with Coach Franklin, along with the Invest To Win support, the foundation is in place for our program to elevate and remain at a nationally-elite level.”
Other sports flourished during Babcock's oversight. The women's basketball program reached the Final Four in 2023, one year after men's basketball claimed the ACC Tournament championship. The baseball program reached its first ever Super Regional in 2022 and the softball squad has made six NCAA Tournament showings on his watch, just to name a few of the department's on-field and on-court accomplishments.
Fundraising is another area in which the athletic director elevated the program. He unveiled the Invest to Win initiatives, a $229 million investment in athletics in order to put the Hokies on par with other Power Four schools in terms of NIL, coaches and facilities. The department has hit $56 million and counting in fundraising for the 2026 fiscal year. He also increased the athletic department budget from $85 million to $200 million since arriving on campus in 2014.
Facilities also saw significant upgrades. Lane Stadium, Cassell Coliseum and many of the other on-campus venues received renovations and enhancements. The school built the $20-million Student-Athlete Performance Center and, in 2015, completed the indoor football practice facility.
Babcock is currently the second-longest tenured athletic director in the ACC and sixth-longest in the country. A search for his replacement will begin immediately.
Click here to see how we use AI at WTKR News 3.
