Virginia Tech Board Approves $229.2M Athletics Boost

Virginia Tech’s Board of Visitors voted 13-1 to approve a $229.2 million increase to the athletics operating budget over the next four years to help the university compete with top ACC programs. The plan raises the FY2026 athletics budget to $190.1 million (placing Tech among the top third/top quarter in the ACC) and earmarks $42.6 million for one-time expenses. Funding will come from philanthropy, institutional support, bridge funding and limited student fee increases, including a $100 annual fee beginning in FY2027. University leaders say the money will fund a new football “front office,” coach recruitment and retention, facility and infrastructure improvements, expanded NIL and recruiting resources, and broader athletics modernization, accompanied by new oversight and accountability measures. The vote follows the recent firing of football coach Brent Pry; one board member, Nancy Dye, cast the lone dissent citing concerns about student fee impacts as the university asks donors for more support, and leaders said the plan responds to shifting media and NIL revenue dynamics.