Nov 19, 2025; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech Athletic Director Whit Babcock speaks at the press conference announcing James Franklin as head coach at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

The feeling was that it wouldn’t be long after Timothy Sands announced his departure that Athletic Director Whit Babcock would throw in the towel before the 2026-2027 school year.

In a Completely Unsurprising Move Whit Hangs Up His Hat

Babcock is hanging his Virginia Tech cap up and following University President Timothy Sands out the door and into retirement. The speed of the move is interesting, but it does allow for his continuation until the Softball and Baseball seasons end.

He Leaves a Mix Legacy

Babcock entered the labyrinth of Cassell, Jamerson, and Merryman at a time when the Virginia Tech Athletic Department was on a deep downward trough. The facilities were old, dated, and in poor shape. The baseball field (English Field) was barely above high school level and quality, and the softball team might not have even made most large secondary school ball fields. Whit managed to find quality coaching hires right off the bat with Buzz Williams rescuing the Men’s Basketball team, Kenny Brooks taking on the Women’s team, and finding funding to turn English Field into Atlantic Union Bank Park. The practice field was supplemented with what became known as the Beamer Barn, and a new jumbotron installed at Lane Stadium.

What people forget is that Babcock hired the hottest football coach of 2015, Justin Fuente, and for the early years of his administration the world was looking up. The 2016 and 2017 football seasons were successful (but things were getting dicey). The Women’s Basketball Team was on a major upswing, and the Men’s team went from nothing to a tournament team under Williams.

Babcock, who was a baseball player at JMU, hired Pete d’Amour to helm the Softball program, and John Szefc to take over the baseball team. Suddenly we had tournament playoffs in Blacksburg, for not only the softball program, but the baseball team, and women’s basketball. Hosting post season tournaments is a big deal for an athletic program.