Virginia Tech men’s basketball coach Mike Young has confirmed he will return for the 2025-26 season, despite facing challenges such as limited NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) resources and a significant player exodus last season. The departures were largely due to other programs offering more lucrative NIL deals. However, Young managed to secure key transfers like Tobi Lawal, Jaden Schutt, and Ben Burnham. The athletic administration plans to increase the NIL package for the basketball program next season, focusing on retaining current players and attracting impactful transfers.
The ACC has recently experienced notable coaching changes:
Tony Bennett: The Virginia coach retired unexpectedly in October 2024 after 15 seasons, citing challenges with unregulated NIL money and transfers.
Jim Larrañaga: The Miami coach retired in December 2024 during his 14th season, following a challenging start to the season.
Leonard Hamilton: The Florida State coach announced in February 2025 that he would resign at the conclusion of the 2024–25 season.
These departures, along with earlier retirements of Hall of Fame coaches like Roy Williams (North Carolina) and Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), have significantly altered the ACC’s coaching landscape. The conference now features several new head coaches aiming to uphold its storied basketball tradition.
Yeah, Tony Bennett’s retirement was a direct response to the current state of college athletics, specifically the lack of regulation around NIL and the transfer portal. He made it clear that he wasn’t against players getting paid, but rather the chaos that has resulted from unchecked movement and bidding wars for talent. It’s the same reason we’ve seen other coaching legends like Coach K, Roy Williams, and Jim Boeheim step away.
As for Mike Young, he’s been dealt one of the toughest hands in the Power Four conferences. Virginia Tech’s NIL resources are among the weakest, and last offseason, the Hokies lost multiple players—not because of Young’s coaching, but because they were lured away by programs with deeper NIL pockets. Despite this, people on social media still tried to pin the blame on Young, ignoring the broader reality of how college basketball works now.
The good news for Young is that Virginia Tech’s administration recognizes the issue and plans to increase NIL support next season. Whether it’ll be enough to compete with the bigger programs remains to be seen, but at least he’s getting some backing instead of being left completely out to dry.
Yeah, that’s the biggest issue—players were being poached before the season even ended. It’s one thing to lose guys to better opportunities after the season, but when teams are actively recruiting players mid-year, it turns into a complete free-for-all. Bennett saw it firsthand, and it’s why he—and so many others—have had enough.
For Virginia Tech, the problem was even worse because their NIL budget was funneled into the football team, which only managed to go 6-6. Meanwhile, Mike Young had to rebuild practically from scratch, with Pedulla and Kidd among the key departures. Even average players were getting paid to leave, which just shows how wild the current market is.
Despite all that, Young actually did a solid job in the portal, landing guys like Tobi Lawal, Jaden Schutt, and Ben Burnham with limited resources. Now, with the program set to get a much-needed boost in NIL funding, the focus will be on retaining key players and adding more impact transfers. It’s still an uphill battle, but at least Virginia Tech basketball won’t be completely outgunned in the market anymore.
That’s the real challenge—how much of a difference will Virginia Tech’s increased NIL package actually make? If the Hokies are getting a boost, you can bet that other programs are, too. So unless the increase is substantial, they might still be fighting an uphill battle to keep players like Lawal, Schutt, Jaydon Young, and Ben Hammond from jumping ship.
Lawal, in particular, is going to have plenty of suitors. Athletic big men with upside are always in demand, and if a bigger program comes in with a strong offer, Virginia Tech will have to either match it or risk losing him. The increased NIL package is a step in the right direction, but if it’s just a modest bump while the rest of the Power Four also raises their budgets, it won’t change much.
This is exactly why Bennett and others have been frustrated. The current system isn’t just about rewarding players—it’s about which schools have the deepest wallets, and the gap between the haves and have-nots is only widening. If Virginia Tech really wants to compete, they’ll need sustained NIL investment, not just a one-time increase.
