Virginia Tech has hired James Franklin to fill its coaching vacancy, the school announced on Monday. Franklin, one of the top names on the open market, was fired by Penn State amid a 3-3 start to the 2025 season. CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz first reported Franklin’s imminent hiring earlier on Monday.
The Hokies also made a midseason coaching change when they decided to move on from Brent Pry on Sept. 14. Pry, a former assistant of Franklin’s at Penn State, started the 2025 campaign with an 0-3 record and had just one winning season in four years at Virginia Tech.
Franklin spent 12 seasons at Penn State. The Nittany Lions finished below .500 just once during his tenure, and that was in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
“I’m honored and humbled to join the Hokie family,” Franklin said in a statement. “My vision is simple: to restore unmatched excellence, to build something that lasts, and to serve this University, the Commonwealth of Virginia and our amazing fan base with honor, integrity, and passion. I look forward to getting to work with our players, our staff, and the entire Virginia Tech community.”
Penn State won at least 10 games each year from 2022-24 and made a program-first appearance in the College Football Playoff last season. The Nittany Lions advanced all the way to the semifinal round, where they lost 27-24 to national runner-up Notre Dame.
The Nittany Lions entered the 2025 season with high hopes and landed at No. 2 in the AP Top 25 poll, their highest preseason ranking since 1997. They were also an early favorite to win the Big Ten for the first time since 2016.
Penn State started the year 3-0 in nonconference play but suffered its first setback with a 30-24 overtime loss to Oregon in its Big Ten opener. The wheels then fell off entirely a week later when the Nittany Lions were upset by UCLA, which was 0-4 entering its game against Penn State.
Penn State suffered a second-straight loss to unranked Northwestern on Oct. 11 and Franklin was fired shortly thereafter. Starting quarterback Drew Allar also suffered a season-ending ankle injury against the Wildcats.
Prior to his hiring at Penn State, Franklin spent three seasons at Vanderbilt, where he became the first coach in program history to win consecutive bowl games. Franklin also had two stints as an assistant at Maryland (2000-04; 2008-10) and was the offensive coordinator at Kansas State from 2006-07.
Franklin an immediate upgrade
Though Franklin’s tenure at Penn State rapidly fell apart, few coaches can flaunt his résumé. He won at least 10 games in six out of his 12 seasons with the Nittany Lions while leading them to 10 postseason appearances from 2014-24.
Penn State also finished in the top 10 of the AP poll five times during Franklin’s tenure. Though Franklin garnered a reputation for wilting in big moments, he did have a 5-3 record in New Year’s Six and College Football Playoff games at Penn State.
He immediately becomes the first Virginia Tech coach since Frank Beamer to win 11 games at a Power Four school. The Hokies also have not appeared in a New Year’s Six Bowl since 2011, and they haven’t even been ranked in the AP Top 25 since Week 3 of the 2021 season.
Franklin also brings deep ties to some of Virginia Tech’s most important recruiting grounds. He’s a native of Pennsylvania and he coached at James Madison, so he has deep ties in the Mid-Atlantic region. His time as an assistant at Maryland gave him valuable inroads into the talent-rich DMV, as well.
Franklin prioritized the state of Virginia when recruiting at Penn State. The Nittany Lions signed two of Virginia’s top three prospects in 2023, including current starting linebacker Tony Rojas.
Virginia Tech poised to capitalize
Depending on how Franklin manages his roster, he could have Virginia Tech ready to compete early in the ACC. The window for teams to move up is now open.
That’s largely due to the continued struggles of traditional powers like Clemson and Florida State, who are a combined 5-9 in conference play this season. Clemson did win the ACC title last season, but Florida State is just 1-10 in its last 11 ACC games.
As a result, programs like Georgia Tech and Virginia currently sit atop the ACC standings. SMU, Pittsburgh and Duke are also in the thick of the conference race.
Franklin immediately becomes one of the ACC’s top coaches, boasting a track record of success in both the SEC and the Big Ten. He could be what the Hokies need to capitalize on the ACC’s downturn and break through the glass ceiling.
It seems the university is ready to help Franklin and the Hokies take that step. Not long after Virginia Tech moved on from Pry, the Virginia Tech board of visitors voted to approve a plan that will add $229 million to the athletic budget in the coming years.
The motion brought Virginia Tech’s budget to $190.1 million for the current fiscal year. The number will gradually increase to $212.1 million by 2029-30.
In comparison, Virginia Tech spent $132.8 million on athletics last year, according to the Knight Commission. Its new budget will bring it closer to Clemson and Florida State, who each spent north of $160 million in 2024-25.
