Hokie ClubBrian White had spent his career preparing for a moment like this, but he’d never actually seen Blacksburg from the air.
Even before we left Boca Raton on Virginia Tech’s Citation jet, our pilot let us know he was lining up a special flyover for the White family when we got to Blacksburg.
As the clouds broke, the mountains of Southwest Virginia suddenly pierced the horizon. Tech’s new Director of Athletics aboard the school plane with his wife and three kids, gazed out the windows, waiting for that first glimpse of the Hokie stone.
When the plane finally dipped and tilted to the left, it wasn't just a campus that came into view, it was a landscape of mountains and history. And a view of potential.
Massive Lane Stadium stands out from the air, and the Home of the Hokies never looked better as we dipped past the stadium on final approach.
“Oh wow. That’s awesome,” White said when seeing Lane for the first time.
“What do you think, Callahan?” White asked his daughter.
“I like it daddy!” she said.
“I like it, Daddy!” exclaimed White’s son Eamon.
Big grins all around.
Seeing that mix of awe and genuine emotion on White’s face was something very special. This isn’t just a new job for Brian; it’s the start of something big for the Whites and the Hokie Nation.
Experience White’s first impression of Tech’s campus here:
The newest members of Hokie Nation seeing Lane for the first time 🦃🧡 pic.twitter.com/WO3kxVjxBa
— HokieSports (@hokiesports) June 23, 2026
“I don't think that there's a better fan base in the country,” White told me. It’s just really exciting to me to think about representing the Hokies.
“With Coach James Franklin. We’ve got a nationally elite coach who I think is going to win a national championship here. And we need to do everything we can to support him.
“And there's no reason we can't win in 22 sports. We can win across the board here because of what's been built and because of what we can build on top of that”
“And a huge piece of building it is alignment. You know, the invest to win campaign, the recent anonymous donations, just incredibly generous. Hokie Ventures, I think, is going to be a huge tool and a huge asset to help us do it.
“Across the board, there's so many great things about Virginia Tech and this opportunity that when I first was contacted about it, I was extremely interested.”
Perhaps the most attractive part of the position for White is that current institutional alignment, most notably Tech’s Invest to Win initiative.
“You know, when I read about that, before I ever thought about coming here, I said, wow, Virginia Tech's all-in,” White told me. “They're taking it seriously. Not all places have alignment. And I think for it's obvious to me as an outsider to see that this place has incredible alignment and a big brand and a commitment to win championships.
And that's the type of place where you want to be.”
The opportunity to work with Tech’s new head football coach James Franklin was also a huge draw for White. The success of football is paramount for the Hokies to achieve success across its entire athletics program.
“We need to work together and try to do what we can to generate more revenue, more resources. That's just a reality of, it's always been a reality of college sports, but it's hyper important now. It's more important now than it ever was.”
“So just the more we can do to generate more revenue, more resources, that's going to be the best way I can help Coach Franklin win. That and get in the trenches with him and be a partner and support him in every other way I can. But resources are the most significant factor for sure.”
The formation of Hokie Ventures will help there.
“I think it's a really progressive and innovative thing that the leadership here did,” White said.
“It's going to help us potentially house current revenue streams and grow those revenue streams, help our revenue streams complement each other. I've done a lot of research with my friends that are at places that have a ventures type program. And I think that there are definitely ways that it can benefit a modern athletic department.”
Traditionally, athletic directors over the years are former coaches that get into administration and then become A.D.s. White’s background is on the other side of it. He got his start on the revenue generation side of things with ISP Sports, which ironically changed the landscape of Tech athletics when it came to Blacksburg 30 years ago this month.
“My dad who was an athletic director but came through coaching as a former coach,” White said. “And that was, I think, the path for his generation. But his advice to me early on was your generation, the path is on the business side, revenue generation, that's critically important.
“So that's how I've spent my whole career on the business and revenue generation side of college athletics. And that's what's exciting to me about this opportunity because I really think I can come in here and move the needle and help the great coaches and students.”
But it was the fan base, and its passion that stands out most to White. The potential for success for the Hokies is fueled by an always loyal fan base that has been energized by Franklin’s arrival in every aspect.
“I think that with the state of modern college athletics, I think the passion of a fan base is the most important metric,” White said.
“From when I was first contacted about Virginia Tech, to me that the Hokie fan base, Hokie Nation, that stands out. I want to be a part of an athletic department that has that backing. I think with Hokie Nation behind us, there's no limit to what we can accomplish.”