Virginia Tech proposes adding extra $229M to athletics budget - ESPN

Virginia Tech has proposed adding an extra $229 million to its athletics budget over the next four years to help position the Hokies to compete with the top programs in the ACC, a crucial moment with the hire of a new football coach looming.

The school's board of visitors will hold a virtual meeting Sept. 30 to consider the adjustment. In materials posted on the board of visitors web page, Virginia Tech is asking for an additional $47.1 million for 2026-27, bringing the total athletics department budget to $190.1 million. That number would increase to $212.1 million for 2029-30.

Virginia Tech is facing a crossroads with its future, particularly in football. The Hokies fired coach Brent Pry last week after an 0-3 start, and have not competed for an ACC championship since 2016. During a presentation to the board of visitors last month, athletics director Whit Babcock pointed out just how far behind Virginia Tech is financially compared to its ACC counterparts.

Its current athletics budget of $122 million ranks No. 14 in the ACC, and Babcock said that number needed to get closer to $200 million annually. The proposal the board will consider reflects that amount. Babcock told the board at the time, «We cannot keep taking pride in doing more with less.»

As for football funding, its current $41 million budget trails behind Clemson ($67.8 million), Florida State ($61.1 million) and North Carolina ($48 million) among public ACC schools. Though the materials released Monday do not include how much more football will get as part of the overall budget increase, Babcock said during the board meeting last month that football will need at least an additional $13.5 million.

This was before Virginia Tech made the move to fire Pry, who