Bruce Arians Joins Effort to Find Virginia Tech Football's Next Head Coach

Virginia Tech will be adding one of its most famous football alumni to the search for its next head coach.

Jan 16, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half in a NFC Wild Card playoff football game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech will be adding one of its most famous football alumni to the search for the next head coach of Virginia Tech Football. Former NFL head coach and two-time Super Bowl champion Bruce Arians confirmed on The Pat McAfee Show that he will be part of the team to help guide the Hokies through their search process.

Before hiring a head coach, Virginia Tech will be looking for a general manager, in the spirit of the school adapting to a business, professional approach to college sports.

"It's all a business now, and you got to find a businessman," said Arians. "I think the first thing for Virginia Tech, is we're gonna hire a general manager and get him in charge of football. The, we'll get into the coaching search."

This is just days after Virginia Tech announced that it will be making a massive investment into its athletic budget. According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, the school will be adding $46 million to its athletic budget for next year.

Having a large athletic budget has become a necessity to compete with some of the best teams in college. Virginia Tech's new budget will put it toward the top of all the schools in the country in terms of athletic budgets. For next year, the proposed budget by the Board of Visitors will be $190 million, and by 2029, it will be $212 million.

"First thing for Virginia Tech is we're gonna hire a General Manager and then we'll get into the coaching search..

The university is making a huge financial commitment so that we can compete in the ACC like we should be" ~ @BruceArians #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/MoBO3bg9LY

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 23, 2025

Arians emphasized the importance of having that kind of money due to the landscape of modern day college football. With NIL, not only does a school have to recruit good players, but it will have to recruit them to stay and probably pay them more to keep them.

"You recruit a guy this year, you've got to recruit him back next year," said Arians. "All they want to know is how much money am I going to make?"

What is Arians looking for in a coach?

McAfee spent some of this segment praising Blacksburg's gameday experience and emphasized the importance of finding the right person to lead the football team. Arians agreed with him, stating that he is looking for someone who can coach well, but can also have the ability to raise money.

"I want to see a guy that not only can coach and make adjustments, but also get out there and get the folks excited and raise money, too," said Arians. "Because that's a big part of it. We gotta have a charismatic guy that can coach ball."

The mission is very simple for Arians and Virginia Tech: bring back the winning tradition that made Lane Stadium one of the most intimidating places for a road team to travel to.

"I want to see Virginia Tech back, with Enter Sandman blasting, and we're winning games," said Arians.