‘Charlotte’s stock is rising’: What new 49ers AD Kevin White said on Day 1

Charlotte 49ers athletic director Kevin White was introduced in front of a large crowd Thursday at Halton Arena, setting the stage for what university chancellor Sharon Gaber hopes to be a new chapter of Charlotte athletics.

The crowd included American Conference commissioner Tim Pernetti and two of White’s former bosses in ACC commissioner Jim Phillips and Clemson athletic director Graham Neff, along with university staff, donors and many others.

White served as Clemson’s deputy athletic director for four years before accepting the Charlotte role, where he’ll oversee 19 teams spanning the 49ers’ campus.

Here are four takeaways from White’s introductory news conference:

White to be ‘very hands-on with all of our teams’

Having just been to his office for the first time two hours ahead of the news conference, White is just beginning to get his feet wet at Charlotte. Prior to the media availability, he met with each head coach on campus, promising support and alignment.

“Very hands-on with all of our teams,” White said candidly. “I met with all of our head coaches, and I told them I’m in the foxhole with them. We’re going to do this together, but we need to all be on the same page and going in the same direction.”

With the football program coming off its worst season since 2017 (1-11), White praised head coach Tim Albin, who accepted the role at Charlotte following 20 years at Ohio.

“The work has already started. Coach (Albin) has had a large amount of success at Ohio. It’s really just about looking forward to figuring out how I can support him with the resources he needs to be successful. That’s my role, and once we define it and have some alignment there, it’s my job to go out and chase it.”

Charlotte raised upward of $3 million for roster construction, program and facility upgrades in December, and will have more than double last season’s amount for the 2026 football team, per a source.

How White’s fundraising background will translate at Charlotte

White’s duties at Clemson included facility enhancements, NIL (name, image and likeness), athletic success with football and men’s basketball, and revenue-sharing agreements.

But it’s evident both on the athletic fields and the financial side that Clemson is much different than Charlotte. For reference, Charlotte spends roughly $50 million on athletics, compared to Clemson’s $200 million. So, how would that translate?

“The fundraising piece is really important. Here at Charlotte, it’s been very clear that we need to be leaders in fundraising and also revenue generation. The fundraising piece is really important because we can engage with a lot of different donors. We have 189,000 alumni, and 60% of them live (around) Charlotte,” White said. “We’re going to have success because we’re going to look under every rock that we possibly can, so we can connect people back to this great university.”

This was among the biggest reasons that Charlotte parted ways with former AD Mike Hill and will be one of White’s focal points in the role.

“This is going to be a large community-based job,” White said. “Revenue sharing, distribution and generation are important along with raising money, so it’s going to be very important for me to be tethered to the community and meet as many people as possible to show them why they should invest in Charlotte, and show the return on investment.”

White’s vision for the 49ers’ basketball programs

Having played at Oak Hill Academy and on North Carolina’s junior varsity team, basketball is a passion of White’s — and he lit up when asked about it Thursday.

“I love hoops,” White exclaimed. “I feel a lot of energy when I’m around our basketball student-athletes, along with our other student-athletes, but basketball is something that I hold pretty dear to my heart, and I’m looking for different ways to support them in any way I can.”

White shared the court with two familiar Charlotte 49ers faces — assistant men’s basketball coach Brett Carey and director of basketball operations Dee Tolliver.

“We have some great coaches here that have had some success,” said White, referencing recent close wins for both the men’s and women’s basketball programs. “Just really wrapping my arms around them and supporting them, making sure they’ve got all the resources they need to be successful.”

When did White get involved in Charlotte’s search?

Charlotte parted ways with former AD Hill on Oct, 16, 2025, and more than four months passed before White’s hire, which was announced Monday.

According to Gaber, the university chancellor, Charlotte didn’t open the search until after the transfer portal closed in mid-January, but zeroed in on White after receiving interest from more than 100 candidates.

Gaber spoke of four boxes that need to be checked — someone who can fundraise, drive revenue generation, knows how to win, and has a proven track record of strong, visionary leadership.

White checked all of those boxes and cemented himself as an obvious choice with a network of current donors, high-ranking business partners in Charlotte, as well as potential donors that Gaber hopes to convert.

“I don’t think every candidate comes with 30 people texting, emailing and calling (about Kevin). It was fantastic to know that he had a broad range of people (in Charlotte) already rooting for him,” Gaber said of White. “That wasn’t a must-have, but certainly nice to have.”

As soon as the role became available, White was all in.

“Early on, my ties to the state of North Carolina, I was all ears. I wanted to learn more. Instantly, I was really intrigued (by the role),” said White. “I felt like I could translate a lot of things here. Charlotte’s stock is rising, but in order to strike gold, it’s going to take all of us.”

This story was originally published February 26, 2026 at 7:17 PM.