UPDATE: Appearing more likely that Babcock may leave #UC for VaTech AD job, sources tell us. #bearcats— Tom Groeschen (@TomGroeschen) January 24, 2014
So far, this is the only report we have seen. It has not been confirmed by any VT beat writers. Roanoke Times writer Mark Berman tweeted yesterday that he had applied for the position.
I'll have an update on #Hokies AD search in tomorrow's paper. But I am told Cincinnati AD Whit Babcock did indeed apply for the job— Mark Berman (@BermanRoanoke) January 23, 2014
Here is Babcock's Bio at Cincy
http://www.gobearcats.com/genrel/babcock_whit00.html
We will provide more information once it is confirmed by Virginia Tech beat writers.
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Comments
I'm not quite sure how to feel about this. I've never really paid much attention to the AD position aside from complaining about our scheduling and complaining about not having stick it in.
Can some of the more enlightened folks tell me what should stand out?
I agree. I was hoping French was going to give us a film review, maybe break down some of his talents, areas needing improvement. You know, where the coaches are going to play him and how to get the biggest impact on the field.
Wait, what were we talking about again?
Would be a fantastic hire IMO. I wanted Teague to start off with, but Babcock was always number two for me.
My worry is Babcock wasn't at Cincy for what a year?? I don't want somebody that is just looking to trade jobs and up. I want somebody that is going to make Blacksburg his home for a good long time.
He's been their AD since 2011.
Thanks, I saw that below. Two years is better than 1.
And we must have made him a heck of an offer; he had gotten an extension until June 2020 at UC.
That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside
3...
2011
2012
2013
I have no idea about how this plays out, but fundraising better be a top focus.
Under 10k Hokie Club Members is shocking. Agree - number one focus needs to be complete rehaul and refocus of Hokie Club efforts in order to assure VT's future competitiveness is not restricted by revenue.
From what little I have heard about him fundraising appears to be one of his top skills. This is probably not a coincidence.
I think it's the best possible hire given the names that were leaked earlier. He has big-time football experience having worked previously at Auburn, WVU, and Mizzou. He's also a Harrisonburg native so he understands Southwest VA, a plus in my opinion. He hired Tuberville at UC and that appears to be a good hire and obviously he'll end up hiring Beamer's replacement. I'm happy with this pick if it's true.
Agreed. Understanding the culture of Virginia Tech is kind of a big deal I think. I'm not saying that some changes wouldn't be welcome. But a general understanding about what has made Virginia Tech successful and stable in the past is definitely a plus.
I found this article dated Jan 22nd quite interesting.
It states they have personally called 3000 supporters to thank them for their donations. Ironic that we have been discussing this very topic...
http://www.gobearcats.com/sports/ucats/spec-rel/012214aaa.html
That's exactly the king of energy we need to kick things off. If true, I love it!
Good, good, good.
This guy has done some great things as an AD at Cincinnati. From the things I've read, he's been 'polarizing figure' at UC.
http://cincyontheprowl.com/2013/10/04/poll-trade-whit-babcock-spot-big-xii/
He's a native of Harrisonburg, Va., home of James Madison, where he was a 4-year letterman for their baseball team and where he got his bachelors (He got his masters degree at WVU).
Basically, he's coming home to a familiar area, which is good.
He was also an executive associate assistant at Missouri --
http://www.smokingmusket.com/2013/10/29/5042828/oliver-luck-texas-longho...
All-in-all, this is a home run hire if true.
He's fairly young and he isn't green when it comes to big-time football programs and elevating the entirety of the athletic departments he's been involve with.
This made me feel better.
Maybe not that relevant, but he lettered for the JMU baseball team.
whoops, nice catch! I typed a bit too fast for myself.
Degrees from JMU and WVU? Are we sure he's able to read his own degrees?
from his UC Bio...
That's definitely encouraging. I would really like to see some aggressive fundraising in Blacksburg. Getting some cash flow from our extensive fan base should work wonders for our academic and athletic departments. I have never met a Hokie who wasn't proud of Virginia Tech. With 25K+ undergrad students VT should be able to squeeze some donations from some loyal Hokie loving graduates. With how much pride VT graduates have there really is no excuse for poor fundraising IMO
Word on the Street, He's been under foil for several days. VT got a very good AD here, lots of connections in the Area and a great resume. New OLC , New AD ...New era for VT ...Go HOKIES
Very nice! This would be a great hire
He's on twitter if anyone wants to check him out. Seems to be genuinely enthusiastic and obviously he's down with social media, which is pretty important in this day and age. His handle is pretty simple @whitbabcock.
This is his most recent tweet responding to a student. Obviously you can't tell much from that, but at least he seems to try and cater to the students. That's always good for morale.
Is this an NCAA Violation to follow him????
Not trying to dash anyone's hopes but we definitely need more information:
Babcock, who was hired as UCs athletic director on Oct. 22, 2011, had his contract extended last year through June 30, 2020.
Babock did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday, but a source in the UC athletic department said Babcock did not apply for the Virginia Tech job. That doesnt necessarily mean Babock is not a candidate
http://cincinnati.com/blogs/uc/2014/01/23/babcock-a-candidate-for-virgin...
The Cincinnati folks commenting on that blog are trash talking VT as being "a huge step down." How insane/delusional can these jokers really be?
they've been salty since Brian Kelly left for ND
A step down?? Last time I check, we beat them in the Orange bowl.
Cincinattians, I guess, never let go of losses.
That city should be used to them by now. Bungles haven't won a playoff game in over 20 years!
I also tell myself that game at fedex field never happened
I tell myself that we've never even played a game at fed ex field. It's where hokie dreams go to die...
I have to confess, I'm a redskins game and I've never once been to a game where my team won at FedEx field.
I also was in the MVs when we played (or didn't) at FedEx...
I was also in the MV's for that game. I went back again as an alum for cincy. My first ever nfl game was in that stadium in 2010 (I'm a packers fan) and my memory is extremely vague but the USC game still haunts me as a hokie. I condemn that stadium to hell...
I'm done going to FedEx. I'm 0-10 all time (preseason included) between Tech and the Redskins. Plus it's a miserable stadium anyways.
Ouuuuch. You have my condolences.
Just means you need to go to a preseason game. That's when the wins matter for the redskins. I went this past year when they played the steelers on Monday night and they won. It was nice because my friend got the tickets from his boss and he is a steelers fan. I was also the smart one and took tuesday off and he didn't.
They have a pretty good sports program but it is nothing more than stepping stone for rising coaches. See Butch Jones and Brian Kelly. With Babcock probably leaving they should be used to this by now.
Look-up the abomination that Cincinnati folks call "chili". When you pause to vomit in your mouth, you'll quickly realize that their opinions should never be taken seriously.
With a name like BabCOCK , how can he not bring back Stick It In?
#awesome
Leg for your signature.
Wang approves of this comment.
The mature, reasonable part of me is hovering over the downvote button. However, the immature, 13 year old part of me that's sitting here eating string cheese is giggling and awarding a turkey leg.
If true this is a good hire IMO. Fundraising and fan engagement are two areas where we need help and those appear to be among his strengths. Hopefully he knows a few good bball coaches...
Completely agree. Completely different type of hire, but if you look at how Franklin took off running at Penn State, that is exactly what we need in a new AD. Franklin immediately put himself into every single type of setting in order to meet the students, athletes, fans, and supporters. A person in any type of sports leadership position has to be engaging with all the aforementioned segments.
Here is Cincinnati's strategic plan. Please note Goal 5 around Fundraising.
http://issuu.com/ucbearcats/docs/uc_athletics_strategic_plan?e=9137887/5...
"Maximize revenue opportunities"
I've seen enough.
Here's a story after he had been on the job about 6 months. I love the intorductory oparagraphs:
Whit Babcock joined the University of Cincinnati in the middle of the Bearcats football season....Just minutes into his induction speech most of us knew he was the right man for the job. He said all the right things and instituted a specific plan to instill three main values into the Cincinnati athletic department:
1.Commitment to comprehensive excellence
2.Focusing on the student athlete and ensuring they will be a role model to those around them
3.Community engagement
But even though hes been on the job for less than a year, he has made massive changes throughout his department. Babcock brought a breath of fresh air to Cincinnati that his predecessor seemed to have sucked out during his time here.
http://cincyontheprowl.com/2012/07/01/the-whit-babcock-era-officially-be...
Seems like a great hire. Virginia roots but an inner drive to make things happen in order to achieve excellence. Expect to see some turbulence, some bruised feelings, but at the end of the day forward progress. Seems like an excellent hire.
First move, bring back Stick It In!!!!
Since he's got a twitter, I'm making one right now to let him know what we want!
I know we play games in FedEx every so often so it makes me wonder why we don't try and schedule basketabll home and homes with the schools in the DC area more (especially now the UMD is leaving). I'm living and Arlington and I would go to games against Georgetow/GW/GMU ect.
Is Babcock following TKP on the Twitters yet?
A TSL article a couple months back was, IMO, spot-on when it said that Weaver was absolutely the right man for the job at the time. He brought VT athletics into the ACC, made huge strides upgrading facilities and left the department in a very strong place financially, with very low debt levels (for college athletics at least).
Now, I wholeheartedly believe, as I'm sure jut about all of you do, that Babcock is the perfect man for the job right now and for the foreseeable future. He'll need to bring energy into the program, revitalize fundraising and oversee the future of the football and basketball programs. Based on his background and achievements, he looks like a perfect fit for Hokie Nation.
I agree, and I get the sense that some are feeling that the new AD is coming into a disaster and has a lot of repair work to be done.
But that's not accurate, thanks to Weaver, as he ran a tight ship and VT is on great financial footing, is a full member of a BCS conference, etc.
There's a lot on the 'to do' list, namely connect with fans, fundraise, basketball, but all of those should be attainable.