James Franklin Hired by Virginia Tech: Why the Former Penn State Head Coach is Heading to the ACC

By Owain Jones

Virginia Tech officially announced James Franklin as its next head coach on Monday evening, as the Hokies look to propel their athletics program into a new era. The move stands as the most significant hire of this year’s coaching cycle, particularly within the ACC, as Virginia Tech looks to reestablish itself as a national contender.

Franklin’s tenure as Penn State head coach was plagued by significant losses against top 10 opponents, but his experience and winning record are often overlooked. As head coach, he has a 128-60 record across his 14-plus years of experience. The 2025 Nittany Lions season quickly collapsed, but Franklin still holds a 68% win percentage.

The Hokies’ interest in the former Nittany Lions head coach, who also had a stint with the Vanderbilt Commodores, was widely speculated for weeks, and comes at a time when the athletics department in Blacksburg is undergoing unprecedented investment.

The Board of Visitors approved a $229 million four-year investment for Virginia Tech athletics in September, shortly after the firing of Brent Pry. It is an infusion of cash that undoubtedly caught the eye of this year’s sought-after head coaching candidates. The motion brought Virginia Tech’s budget to $190.1 million for the current fiscal year, gradually increasing to $212.1 million by 2029-30—bringing them closer to Clemson and Florida State, who each spent north of $160 million in 2024-25.

After several years of mediocrity, the program has demonstrated a commitment to return to the glory days of the Frank Beamer era and hopes to send shockwaves through the conference. Under Beamer’s 29-year reign from 1987-2015, Virginia Tech won four ACC championships, three Big East titles, appeared in 23 consecutive bowl games, and reached the 2000 BCS National Championship Game with an undefeated regular season.

That investment is an indication of why Franklin seized the opportunity just weeks after being fired by Penn State. There is no doubt he would have had options. The accomplished head coach could have waited until the end of the season before surveying the landscape and could have afforded to wait a year for the right opportunity. But instead, the Hokies have landed their top target.

Moreover, Penn State’s buyout obligation to Franklin was dramatically reduced from $49 million to just $9 million after negotiations as Franklin’s talks with Virginia Tech intensified.
It is easy to see why the leadership went so hard after Franklin. The head coach brings more than 30 years of experience, including 14 years as a head coach, as well as proven recruiting and transfer portal success.

Franklin developed 18 All-America selections, 32 national major award winners, and 59 NFL Draft picks at Penn State (including 2024 first-round picks Abdul Carter at No. 3 overall and Tyler Warren at No. 14 overall). And while it may be intrinsically harder to sell Virginia Tech than it was Penn State, the ACC is undeniably less difficult to win than the Big Ten.

Perhaps most crucial for Virginia Tech’s rebuild is the recruiting angle. Franklin brings strong ties to the I-95 corridor, including the talent-rich DMV area (DC, Maryland, Virginia), having coached two stints at Maryland as an assistant and one year at James Madison. Franklin prioritized the state of Virginia when recruiting at Penn State, with the Nittany Lions signing two of Virginia’s top three prospects in 2023, including current starting linebacker Tony Rojas.

In the 2023 class alone, Franklin landed six of the top 10 players in Virginia at Penn State, while Virginia Tech’s highest-rated in-state recruit was 16th-ranked Antonio Cotman Jr. Franklin has proven he can extract elite Virginia talent and develop it at the highest level. Now, he’ll attempt to keep that talent in Blacksburg.

Franklin’s task is straightforward: Rebuild Virginia Tech into a program that consistently competes for ACC championships and College Football Playoff berths. With the conference’s traditional powers struggling and the university providing unprecedented financial backing, the timing couldn’t be better.

OWAIN JONES

College Football & NFL DRAFT ANALYST

OWAIN jones COVERS EVERYTHING college football & NFL DRAFT. COMING WITH PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE, OWAIN was PREVIOUSLY a writer for pfsn and WAS THE NFL DRAFT EDITOR AT NINETY-NINE YARDS WHERE HE CREATED DRAFT TALK. YOU CAN FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER @OWAIN_JONES_

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