Virginia Tech AD Whit Babcock "touches on his first year and a half" in the job, as well as "the evolution of the Hokie Club ... and whether or not Babcock foresees an overseas game in the Hokies' future" in a two-part Q&A with Andy Bitter of the ROANOKE TIMES. Below are excerpts of the Q&A:
Q: How have you seen the Hokie Club change since you’ve gotten here?
Babcock: The numbers are up. In total, I’d say around $2 million more. Our total numbers are getting back toward 10,000. I think we crossed 10,000, so hopefully kind of after a plateau it’s going back up in the right direction.
Q: Any thoughts of doing something overseas with Virginia Tech?
Babcock: I would never say never. Maybe I’m wrong, but for whatever reason that’s not on my radar screen.
Q: It seems like it would out-price the average fan.
Babcock: Right. And probably not practical.
Q: Playing at a NASCAR track is pretty unique. What’s the latest on the Battle at Bristol, tickets or otherwise?
Babcock: Our obligation is 40,000 for that game and I believe we’re right at 20,000. But shoot, we’re still a year away. I think we’ll be fine (ROANOKE.com, 6/25).
Q: What’s been the reception to the new cost-of-attendance measures and Virginia Tech’s Pylons of Promise program introduced last winter?
Babcock: It’s been very positive. Now it’s a game-changer, right. It’s just under a million dollar a year line item that wasn’t even being talked about when I was hired.
Q: The Power 5 schools are not too long into this age of autonomy. Has there been anything that’s surprised you or any unexpected consequences from that new freedom that have popped up?
Babcock: I like that too. The status quo was not working. The model was broken, of the NCAA. ... Maybe we were just a little too reactive. It probably should have happened sooner (ROANOKE.com, 6/26).
TALKING TURKEY: In Richmond, Mike Barber noted VT's new $21.3M indoor practice facility "took slightly longer than a year to build and is among the most impressive of its kind in college athletics." It also "came in on budget and ahead of schedule." The facility was built by Virginia-based W.M. Jordan, and project superintendent Mike Carter said, "Everything pretty much went as planned from day one and stayed right on track." VT Senior Associate AD/Facilities & Operations Tom Gabbard said that the planning for the indoor facility "began more than 17 years ago when former AD Jim Weaver made it the first project on his initial to-do list." The complex "ended up being a 7.9 million cubic-foot practice facility, wide enough to safely run sideline patterns without fear of colliding with walls." It has an "86-foot, 6-inch high ceiling to allow the team to punt and kick inside." It also "will be used by the school’s baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse programs, something that doesn’t happen" at many other D-I schools that have football-only indoor facilities (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 6/28).
