Virginia Tech is asking its board of visitors to increase the athletics department budget to $229 million, starting with an initial $47.1 million bump in the 2026-27 school year.
According to ESPN, Virginia Tech’s current athletics department budget is $122 million, ranking near the bottom across all Atlantic Coast Conference schools. The football program, in particular, receives $41 million, which is more than $20 million short of division rivals Clemson and Florida State both with football budgets exceeding $60 million annually.
Whit Babcock said that of the initial budget increase, football would receive $13.5 million. The Hokies football team — which has started the season with three consecutive losses — has not competed for an ACC championship in nearly ten years, and also recently fired head football coach Brent Pry.
“We cannot keep taking pride in doing more with less,” said Babcock.
Babcock proposed a mixture of institutional support and bridge funding to reach the athletics department’s $229 million goal. The plan would also add a $100 increase to student fees.
"The landscape of intercollegiate athletics nationwide has evolved dramatically over the past year,” said the Virginia Tech athletics department in a statement. “The gap between top-tier programs and all other programs has widened. Without additional investment, the university and the region risk declining revenues. Potential losses to existing university revenues such as media rights, ticket sales, and sponsorships, for example, would likely have a negative impact on non-revenue sports, brand value, and alumni connection."
The meeting with the board of visitors is scheduled for Sept. 30, when the group will consider the outlined budget increase.
