Florida Atlantic basketball’s run to the 2023 Final Four continues to ripple through the world of collegiate athletics.
Brian White, who’d served as FAU’s athletic director since 2018, was hired by Virginia Tech to the same position on Monday, June 22.
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During White’s tenure, the Owls reached 23 postseason tournaments, won 10 conference championships and made several significant coaching hires, though none was more impactful than his first.
White hired Dusty May as men’s basketball coach in March 2018, a move which ultimately transformed the the program and elevated FAU’s national profile. Under May, the Owls compiled a 126–69 record in six seasons and reached the Final Four in 2023, far and away the best stretch in program history.
Palm Beach Post writer Tom D’Angelo, left, Brian White, vice president and director of athletics at FAU, and Eric Kresser, former Palm Beach Gardens, UF and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback, during The Palm Beach Post’s NIL, Name, Image and Likeness forum in West Palm Beach, Florida, on August 27, 2025.
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For his efforts, May was hired by Michigan in 2024 and won a national championship with the Wolverines in April. On the same day White left FAU for Virginia Tech, May left Michigan to become the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.
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While White’s football hires − Willie Taggart, Tom Herman and Zach Kittley − have produced mixed results, the success of the May hire will go down as the defining move of his tenure.
He also helped FAU navigate the challenges of the NIL era and conference realignment, both of which reshaped the landscape for mid-major athletic programs.
White’s move also further cements his family’s prominence in college athletics. His brother, Danny White, serves as athletic director at Tennessee, while another brother, Mike White, is the men’s basketball coach at Georgia.
“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,” FAU President Adam Hasner said in a statement. “They will always have a home here in Paradise.”
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FAU has not yet announced White’s successor.
Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at ejwallace@usatodayco.com.
Brian White, vice president and director of athletics at FAU, speaks at The Palm Beach Post’s NIL, Name, Image and Likeness forum in West Palm Beach, Florida, on August 27, 2025.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FAU’s Brian White accepts AD job at Virginia Tech
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