AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- Virginia Tech coach James Franklin is actively involved in the Hokies' search for a new athletic director, saying Tuesday he hoped the school would hire somebody to be "bold and aggressive with football in mind."
Franklin was hired in November, hand in hand with a renewed investment in football. Virginia Tech approved a four-year, $229 million plan to help the athletics department, with an emphasis on revitalizing football.
But over the past month, school president Tim Sands announced he was stepping down and athletic director Whit Babcock announced his retirement. Franklin now is in a spot where the school is looking to replace the two people who hired him.
"I wouldn't say it's necessarily ideal, but there's some advantages of being able to partner with somebody and build this together, both coming in with fresh eyes and fresh experience," Franklin said during a break in ACC meetings.
Franklin pointed to the renewed financial commitment to football as a key factor in the process to find a new athletic director. Virginia Tech finished 3-9 last season and has not won 10 games since 2016.
"We're in a much different position now than we were, but I think there's also a realization that we haven't had success in football in a long period of time," Franklin said. "There comes responsibility, and there comes pressure for that, for me and the football program specifically. So being able to get an AD that's going to come in here and hit the ground running and be bold and aggressive with football in mind is going to be really important.
"It's going to be in everybody's best interest, because when football is successful, all the other ships rise."
Though the hiring of the school president will take longer, Franklin also is hopeful whoever takes over keeps football at the forefront.
"If you can hire a president that understands the importance of athletics and specifically football, I can't explain how valuable that is," Franklin said. "So if you can find one that really understands it and embraces it, that's really powerful. ... That's when you have a chance to really do some special things."