The fighting gobbler is re-reporting(?) Ben Portnoy's report that Chance Miller is in the running to replace Whit Babcock:
Ben Portnoy of Business Sports Journal reported on X that Miller is a name to watch for the Virginia Tech opening as athletic director. He has five years of previous experience at the Power 4 level, serving as the senior deputy athletics director at the University of South Carolina from April of 2013 to July of 2019 before landing at Coastal Carolina.Miller has an extensive background in fundraising and working with NIL, something that Virginia Tech desperately needs.
Coastal Carolina has done relatively well on the field, given their lack of tradition and resources. Miller has also led some really creative promotions (theme nights, complimentary food/softdrinks, LED shows, halftime shows, etc) to create a fun in game experience. Not saying that he would do that sort of stuff at Lane if hired, but I think his willingness to try new things at a school like coastal Carolina is certainly a positive sign.
I'm also unsure what is roles and responsibilities as AD would be in the new-age Virginia Tech athletic department.
Comments
Going for the large bird mascot trifecta
Delaware blue hens!?
USCe.
(A gamecock is a large fighting rooster while the blue hen is a heritage breed that is smaller............for relativity)
I was suggesting that he missed his opportunity to serve at a quartet of big bird schools!
Would not be a bad choice in my opinion. Did well in baseball, football tbd, but he's already got Franklin locked up. Basketball would be a big question since I think MY probably is close to his exit.
Also begs the question of how his role will really look. Is it going to be hiring/firing coaches, and how involved will he be with Hokie Ventures (beyond what they put on paper)
I'm not well read on this or any other candidate but I support hiring someone that has demonstrative success running an athletic department. I think which level of d1 athletics they've been in is less important. Successful people tend to succeed everywhere they go.
With the way college sports is headed, specifically the top level, I'm not sure this applies as much as in the past. Imo, there's going to be quite a bit of difference running a department at where we want to be vs running a department at Coastal Carolina, FAU, any mid-major program you can name. Pro level experience and/or experience at a top level school (doesn't have to be AD, could be deputy, etc) could be just as important if not more than showing you can run a department at any D1 school. In today's world, I think I would trust a years long deputy AD from Texas or Notre Dame with no head AD experience over a candidate that was an AD at a modest mid-major for a few years for example. Other factors involved sure, I'm just saying its no longer that simple any more
Thamel is reporting FAU AD Brian White is finalizing a deal to take the job
https://www.espn.com/contributor/pete-thamel/06b0c162ba9f2
via @ESPN App http://espn.com/app
Still a solid bird connection, nice.
Not sure what to make of his tenure off the top of my head. Basketball had success, football is a mixed bag. I don't know anything about FAU baseball
TBH, I haven't liked any of the names we were looking at but at least White comes from a family steeped in college athletics. His brother is the AD for the Vols, his dad use to be the AD at Notre Dame and Duke back in the day, and his brother coaches UGA's basketball team.
The most important thing imo is does he understand fundraising and how essentially college sports are now pro sports. Hopefully he does. If not, we're going to be stuck with more of the same. But on the positive side, I think Coach Franklin does understand that and White wouldn't be hired if Franklin wasn't on board.
I think there is also one more hire to be made relative to Hokie Ventures; so we aren't looking at the AD model that that has existed for decades. Franklin is the head of football; the AD runs MBB and the non-revenues and is more finance oriented. Hokie Ventures is the affiliated partnering arm...not dissimilar to legislatively established "friends" organizations
Well this post aged like milk
Well, you tried
got the bird part right