Virginia Tech Announces Search Committee For Next Head Football Coach; Here Are The Notable Names
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Virginia Tech is one of the open jobs in college football right now and the Hokies still appear to be in the early stages of the process of finding their new leader in Blacksburg.
Today, Virginia Tech announced an eight member committee to identify the next head of the program and there are three members of the committee who are going to be very notable to the Virginia Tech faithful.
Bruce Arians
Arians is a 1974 graduate of Virginia Tech where he played quarterback for the Hokies. He spent
the first three years of his coaching career as a graduate assistant for the Hokies from 1975 to
1977. Arians was named AP NFL Coach of the Year in 2012 and 2014. He is a three-time winner of
the Greasy Neale Award, presented to the top head coach in the NFL (2012, 2014 and 2020). He
was the winning head coach of Super Bowl LIV in 2020 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was
inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.
Bud Foster
Foster is a 1981 graduate of Murray State University where he played strong safety and outside line-
backer for the Racers from 1977 to 1980. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at
Murray State in 1981 under Frank Beamer. He held multiple positions for the Racers before moving
with Coach Beamer to Virginia Tech in 1987. Foster was named Co-Defensive Coordinator in 1995
before taking sole reigns of the defense in 1996. Foster led the Hokies’ defense from 1996 to 2019,
where he was awarded the 2000 American Football Coaches Association Defensive Coordinator of
the Year and the Broyles Award in 2006 as the best assistant coach that year. Foster has served as a
special assistant to Babcock since 2020, assisting in the Hokie Club and in all areas of athletics.
Eddie Royal
Royal is a 2007 graduate of Virginia Tech where he played wide receiver for the Hokies. He was
named First Team All-ACC in 2007. He was selected in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft by
the Denver Broncos. Royal spent nine years playing in the NFL for the Denver Broncos, San Diego
Chargers, and the Chicago Bears. After his playing career, Royal joined ESPN’s ACC Network as a
studio and in-game analyst in 2021.
Virginia Tech AD Whit Babcock emphasized the moment as a turning point for the university: “With the support of our Board of Visitors, Virginia Tech has never been better positioned to compete at the highest levels of the ACC and nationally. This committee brings star power, experience, and a true passion for Virginia Tech. Together, we are determined to find the right leader to move our program forward.” This announcement comes just days after the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors approved a landmark budget plan that allocates $229.2 million over the next four years to athletics. That investment represents a bold commitment to ensuring Virginia Tech’s student-athletes and coaches have the resources necessary to compete with the top programs in the ACC and beyond.
Adding to the momentum, a podcast with Babcock and Voice of the Hokies, Bill Roth, is embedded
within this release. The conversation covers the committee announcement, the Board’s historic vote
and what lies ahead for VT Athletics.
The committee will begin its work immediately, with the goal of naming Virginia Tech’s next head
football coach following a comprehensive and thorough search process.
More Virginia Tech News:
Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell
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