Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Brian White Named Vice President/Director of Athletics at Virginia Tech
6/23/2026 2:15:00 PM | General
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Brian White, who served as Florida Atlantic University's vice president and director of athletics for the last eight years, was appointed to the same position at Virginia Tech. The announcement was made by the Hokies Monday night.
White successfully guided FAU through its most successful stretch in the university's history, which included record-breaking fundraising, philanthropic and corporate support, consistently high academic performances, broad-based championship success, the transformative move to the American Conference in 2024, and was punctuated by men's basketball's historic Final Four run in 2023.
"Florida Atlantic University congratulates Brian White on his new role at Virginia Tech," said Florida Atlantic President Adam Hasner. "Over his eight years leading FAU Athletics, Brian helped transform our athletics department into one of the nation's up-and-coming programs, and he did it while building something special along the way. Under his leadership, FAU reached remarkable new heights, from our unforgettable 2023 Final Four run to conference championships and postseason appearances across so many of our programs, as well as our key move to the American Conference. But beyond the wins, Brian strengthened our culture of excellence, cared deeply for our student-athletes, and brought tremendous pride to our entire Owl community.
"We are grateful for his contributions and the lasting impact he has made on FAU, and we wish Brian, Paige, and their family continued success in this next chapter. They will always have a home here in Paradise."
Deputy Athletics Director Michael Graffin has been named interim director of athletics. A national search will commence immediately.
In total under White, Owl teams have combined for 20 NCAA postseason/bowl appearances and 15 conference titles, including championships from men's basketball, men's soccer, softball, beach volleyball and men's swimming & diving in the last four years. His high-profile coaching hires have included Dusty May, Zach Kittley, John Jakus, LeAnn Freeland and Jordan Clark, who in just three seasons, led softball to back-to-back American Conference regular season titles in 2024 and 2025.
"This an emotional moment for me and my family," said White. "While I am deeply grateful to the leadership at Virginia Tech for the confidence they have placed in me, I am also incredibly honored to have served at Florida Atlantic for nearly a decade. The Owls will always hold a special place in my heart, and I want to thank our administration, fans, supporters, staff and coaches for allowing me to lead this department. I also share my profound gratitude, specifically to President Adam Hasner, Chair of the Board of Trustees Piero Bussani, past presidents Stacy Volnick and John Kelly and past board chairs Brad Levine, Abdol Moabery and Anthony Barbar for their unwavering support of athletics and for providing the institutional alignment that allowed us to flourish. I am extremely proud of the successes and championships we have experienced and the moments we shared witnessing the Owls establish their position on the national stage. We have won at a high level, and more importantly, won the right way. My family and I will miss this place dearly, but we know the best is yet to come in Paradise."
As one of the respected leaders in college athletics, White instilled his #WinningInParadise culture with a simply stated athletics mission of creating a brighter future for FAU through student-athlete success. His constant focus was always on academic achievement.
For 22 consecutive semesters through Spring 2026, Florida Atlantic student-athletes compiled a department-wide grade-point average of 3.0 or better, including a semester all-time record of 3.334 last spring. The department also consistently established new record highs in both Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and the Academic Program Rate (APR) – two of the NCAA's key academic metrics.
Florida Atlantic entered the American Conference in July 2023 as White played a pivotal role in one of the most influential athletics advancements in school history. The move to the American came on the heels of the historic men's basketball season in 2022-23 that saw the Owls capture the nation's attention and energize a fan base by winning 35 games, claiming a conference title and advancing to the Final Four for the first time in school history.
In the four years since, the department has boasted record highs in fundraising, corporate sponsorships and attendance, including an all-time record $26.4 million in philanthropic giving in 2024-25 -- up a staggering 625% since 2021. Generational gifts announced in the last four years have helped change the face of Florida Atlantic Athletics, including $7.5 million from Eleanor R. Baldwin and $6 million from the Hagerty family. The Schmidt Family Complex for Academic and Athletic Excellence, a $72 million project, opened to rave reviews in 2020. The complex houses the football program and the department's academic support staff and features one of the most spacious strength and conditioning spaces in the state of Florida.
In September 2023, White announced a strategic partnership with Playfly Sports to become FAU's multimedia rights holder. The agreement more than doubled the Owls' sponsorship revenue from the prior contract. Just more than a year later, White negotiated the largest football stadium naming rights deal in the American Conference in December 2024 with Flagler Credit Union.
White's family is highly respected in collegiate athletics. His father, Kevin, retired from his role as Duke University's vice president and director of athletics in 2021; his oldest brother, Mike, is the head men's basketball coach at the University of Georgia; brother, Danny, is director of athletics at the University of Tennessee.
Named to Sports Business Journal's 40 Under 40 list in June 2023, White is an ex-officio member of the Orange Bowl Committee.
White earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame (2006) and a master's in business administration from Ohio University (2009). White and his wife, Paige, have two daughters, Callahan and Emerson and a son, Eamon.
#WIP
White successfully guided FAU through its most successful stretch in the university's history, which included record-breaking fundraising, philanthropic and corporate support, consistently high academic performances, broad-based championship success, the transformative move to the American Conference in 2024, and was punctuated by men's basketball's historic Final Four run in 2023.
"Florida Atlantic University congratulates Brian White on his new role at Virginia Tech," said Florida Atlantic President Adam Hasner. "Over his eight years leading FAU Athletics, Brian helped transform our athletics department into one of the nation's up-and-coming programs, and he did it while building something special along the way. Under his leadership, FAU reached remarkable new heights, from our unforgettable 2023 Final Four run to conference championships and postseason appearances across so many of our programs, as well as our key move to the American Conference. But beyond the wins, Brian strengthened our culture of excellence, cared deeply for our student-athletes, and brought tremendous pride to our entire Owl community.
"We are grateful for his contributions and the lasting impact he has made on FAU, and we wish Brian, Paige, and their family continued success in this next chapter. They will always have a home here in Paradise."
Deputy Athletics Director Michael Graffin has been named interim director of athletics. A national search will commence immediately.
In total under White, Owl teams have combined for 20 NCAA postseason/bowl appearances and 15 conference titles, including championships from men's basketball, men's soccer, softball, beach volleyball and men's swimming & diving in the last four years. His high-profile coaching hires have included Dusty May, Zach Kittley, John Jakus, LeAnn Freeland and Jordan Clark, who in just three seasons, led softball to back-to-back American Conference regular season titles in 2024 and 2025.
"This an emotional moment for me and my family," said White. "While I am deeply grateful to the leadership at Virginia Tech for the confidence they have placed in me, I am also incredibly honored to have served at Florida Atlantic for nearly a decade. The Owls will always hold a special place in my heart, and I want to thank our administration, fans, supporters, staff and coaches for allowing me to lead this department. I also share my profound gratitude, specifically to President Adam Hasner, Chair of the Board of Trustees Piero Bussani, past presidents Stacy Volnick and John Kelly and past board chairs Brad Levine, Abdol Moabery and Anthony Barbar for their unwavering support of athletics and for providing the institutional alignment that allowed us to flourish. I am extremely proud of the successes and championships we have experienced and the moments we shared witnessing the Owls establish their position on the national stage. We have won at a high level, and more importantly, won the right way. My family and I will miss this place dearly, but we know the best is yet to come in Paradise."
As one of the respected leaders in college athletics, White instilled his #WinningInParadise culture with a simply stated athletics mission of creating a brighter future for FAU through student-athlete success. His constant focus was always on academic achievement.
For 22 consecutive semesters through Spring 2026, Florida Atlantic student-athletes compiled a department-wide grade-point average of 3.0 or better, including a semester all-time record of 3.334 last spring. The department also consistently established new record highs in both Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and the Academic Program Rate (APR) – two of the NCAA's key academic metrics.
Florida Atlantic entered the American Conference in July 2023 as White played a pivotal role in one of the most influential athletics advancements in school history. The move to the American came on the heels of the historic men's basketball season in 2022-23 that saw the Owls capture the nation's attention and energize a fan base by winning 35 games, claiming a conference title and advancing to the Final Four for the first time in school history.
In the four years since, the department has boasted record highs in fundraising, corporate sponsorships and attendance, including an all-time record $26.4 million in philanthropic giving in 2024-25 -- up a staggering 625% since 2021. Generational gifts announced in the last four years have helped change the face of Florida Atlantic Athletics, including $7.5 million from Eleanor R. Baldwin and $6 million from the Hagerty family. The Schmidt Family Complex for Academic and Athletic Excellence, a $72 million project, opened to rave reviews in 2020. The complex houses the football program and the department's academic support staff and features one of the most spacious strength and conditioning spaces in the state of Florida.
In September 2023, White announced a strategic partnership with Playfly Sports to become FAU's multimedia rights holder. The agreement more than doubled the Owls' sponsorship revenue from the prior contract. Just more than a year later, White negotiated the largest football stadium naming rights deal in the American Conference in December 2024 with Flagler Credit Union.
White's family is highly respected in collegiate athletics. His father, Kevin, retired from his role as Duke University's vice president and director of athletics in 2021; his oldest brother, Mike, is the head men's basketball coach at the University of Georgia; brother, Danny, is director of athletics at the University of Tennessee.
Named to Sports Business Journal's 40 Under 40 list in June 2023, White is an ex-officio member of the Orange Bowl Committee.
White earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame (2006) and a master's in business administration from Ohio University (2009). White and his wife, Paige, have two daughters, Callahan and Emerson and a son, Eamon.
#WIP
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