Virginia Tech establishes search committee for next head football coach

BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech President Tim Sands and Director of Athletics Whit Babcock today announced the formation of the university’s search committee to identify the Hokies’ next head football coach. This distinguished group, comprised of leaders with deep expertise, institutional pride and national credibility, will guide one of the most important hires in Virginia Tech Athletics history.

The eight-member committee includes:

Bruce Arians
Arians is a 1974 graduate of Virginia Tech where he played quarterback for the Hokies.  He spent the first three years of his coaching career as a graduate assistant for the Hokies from 1975 to 1977. Arians was named AP NFL Coach of the Year in 2012 and 2014. He is a three-time winner of the Greasy Neale Award, presented to the top head coach in the NFL (2012, 2014 and 2020). He was the winning head coach of Super Bowl LIV in 2020 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.

Bridget Ryan Berman
Ryan Berman graduated from Virginia Tech in 1982 and is the Managing Partner of Ryan Berman Advisory, a strategic consulting firm. She has led multi-channel consumer businesses for global fashion and technology companies. Her career includes roles such as Chief Executive Officer of Victoria’s Secret Direct, Chief Executive Officer of Giorgio Armani Corp, Chief Operating Officer of Apple Retail, and Global Group President of Ralph Lauren Retail. She currently serves as a director of Asbury Automotive Group, Chair of the Board of Newell Brands, and Lead Independent Director at Tanger, Inc., and she has been recognized as one of Women’s Inc.’s Most Influential Corporate Directors. She was also a co-founder of MiracleFeet, a nonprofit organization that provides treatment for clubfoot in children from low- and middle-income countries. At Virginia Tech, Ryan Berman chaired the Dean’s Cabinet and was President of the Advisory Council for the Pamplin College of Business. She is currently Vice President of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association Board and has also served on the university’s Foundation Board.

Lynne Doughtie
Doughtie is a 1985 graduate of Virginia Tech, receiving the University’s Distinguished Achievement Award in 2018. She is retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of KPMG LLP – one of the world’s leading professional services firms providing audit, tax and advisory services to many of the world’s most iconic companies. In recognition of her professional accomplishments, Doughtie has received numerous accolades including Fortune’s Most Powerful Women, Accounting Today’s Top 100 Most Influential People, the National Association of Corporate Directors’ 100 most influential people in the boardroom, and Glassdoor’s list of Top CEOs. Since retiring from KPMG, Doughtie has joined the Boards of Directors of The Boeing Company, McKesson and Workday. She also lends her time and expertise to several civic and charitable organizations, including chairing the Board of the LUNGevity Foundation and serving on the Virginia Tech Alumni Association Board and the Pamplin College of Business Advisory Board.

Bud Foster
Foster is a 1981 graduate of Murray State University where he played strong safety and outside linebacker for the Racers from 1977 to 1980. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Murray State in 1981 under Frank Beamer. He held multiple positions for the Racers before moving with Coach Beamer to Virginia Tech in 1987. Foster was named Co-Defensive Coordinator in 1995 before taking sole reigns of the defense in 1996. Foster led the Hokies’ defense from 1996 to 2019, where he was awarded the 2000 American Football Coaches Association Defensive Coordinator of the Year and the Broyles Award in 2006 as the best assistant coach that year. Foster has served as a special assistant to Babcock since 2020, assisting in the Hokie Club and in all areas of athletics.

Brad Hobbs
Hobbs is a 1990 graduate of Virginia Tech and is the President and CEO of Air Control Concepts (formerly known as Hobbs & Associates). Hobbs has led the company over the better part of four decades to become one of the nation’s largest engineered product distribution companies with over 100 offices across more than 30 states in the U.S. and Canada, while employing over 2,000 employees. In addition to managing Air Control Concepts, Hobbs has launched several other successful businesses in the southeastern U.S. He is also very active in the HVAC industry, serving on boards with key HVAC manufacturing partners. Hobbs was asked to serve on Governor Glenn Youngkin’s transition team following his election, who later appointed Hobbs to the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors in July 2022.

Ryan McCarthy
McCarthy holds degrees from both the Virginia Military Institute and the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. McCarthy was in the U.S. Army from 1997 to 2002, ultimately serving in combat operations during the invasion of Afghanistan with the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. After leaving active-duty, McCarthy worked on the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs and as a special assistant to the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. He then worked with Lockheed Martin on the F-35 program before being nominated and unanimously confirmed as the Under Secretary of the Army in 2017. In 2019, he was nominated and unanimously confirmed as the 24th Secretary of the Army where he served until 2021. After serving his country as Secretary of the Army, McCarthy serves on the Board of Directors at CACI International, The National Medal of Honor Museum, and is an Operating Partner with AE Industrial Partners. In July of 2024, Governor Glenn Youngkin named him as one of five appointees to the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

J. Pearson
Pearson is a 1987 graduate of Virginia Tech. While at Virginia Tech, Pearson was a member of the Corps of Cadets, earning a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Virginia Army National Guard, serving for nine years. He founded Carry-On Trailer in 1996, amassing seven plants in six states and more than 1,200 employees, leading the company’s ascension to become the largest trailer manufacturer in the world. Pearson sold Carry-On in 2010, and in subsequent years, started and sold two additional businesses. In 2019, Pearson founded Vehicle Accessory, Inc., which became the leading supplier of vehicle accessories in the country. The company has more than 1,000 employees with plants throughout North America. In July 2024, Governor Glenn Youngkin named Pearson as one of five appointees to the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

Eddie Royal
Royal is a 2007 graduate of Virginia Tech where he played wide receiver for the Hokies. He was named First Team All-ACC in 2007. He was selected in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. Royal spent nine years playing in the NFL for the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, and the Chicago Bears. After his playing career, Royal joined ESPN’s ACC Network as a studio and in-game analyst in 2021.

“This committee represents the spirit and strength of Virginia Tech athletics and Hokie Nation at the highest level,” Sands said. “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.”

Babcock emphasized the moment as a turning point for the university: “With the support of our Board of Visitors, Virginia Tech has never been better positioned to compete at the highest levels of the ACC and nationally. This committee brings star power, experience, and a true passion for Virginia Tech. Together, we are determined to find the right leader to move our program forward.”

This announcement comes just days after the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors approved a landmark budget plan that allocates $229.2 million over the next four years to athletics. That investment represents a bold commitment to ensuring Virginia Tech’s student-athletes and coaches have the resources necessary to compete with the top programs in the ACC and beyond.

Adding to the momentum, a podcast with Babcock and Voice of the Hokies, Bill Roth, is embedded within this release. The conversation covers the committee announcement, the Board’s historic vote and what lies ahead for VT Athletics.

The committee will begin its work immediately, with the goal of naming Virginia Tech’s next head football coach following a comprehensive and thorough search process.