Whit Babcock announced his retirement as the athletic director of Virginia Tech after 12 years of leadership. Effective July 1, he will take on the role of athletic director emeritus, where he will advise the university president and the new athletic director. This announcement comes amid significant changes at Virginia Tech, including the recent retirement announcement of university president Tim Sands, who served in that capacity for 12 years. Additionally, longtime administrator John Ballein, who has been with the athletic department since 1987, will also retire in June. Babcock expressed his gratitude, stating that serving as athletic director was a dream job and a homecoming for him. The Hokies recently hired James Franklin as their football coach to revive their football tradition and announced a substantial investment of $229 million over four years to enhance their athletic programs, particularly football, which has struggled in recent years with only one 10-win season since 2012 and no Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championships.