It appears the search for the next football coach of the Virginia Tech Hokies is focused on one name: former Penn State coach James Franklin. Yes, you read that correctly. While no deal is official, the smoke is picking up around Franklin and Virginia Tech.
It’s already been a wild coaching carousel since the Hokies fired Brent Pry last month. Several Power 4 jobs are currently open. Here’s the list:
- Arkansas
- Florida
- LSU
- Penn State
- Oklahoma State
- UCLA
- Stanford
There are other non-Power-4 jobs available, too, such as Oregon State and UAB. Other Power 4 jobs,
such as Auburn, South Carolina, Kentucky, North Carolina and Florida State, could also open before the end of the season. Essentially, there are more openings than qualified coaches to fill them. So, if you’re Virginia Tech, it makes sense to strike now and land the top candidate on the market.
Make no mistake, Franklin is the grand prize of available options. Lane Kiffin is being mentioned for the vacancies at Florida and LSU, but there’s no guarantee that he’ll leave Ole Miss. LSU and Florida couldn’t justify hiring Franklin, considering Penn State supposedly fired Franklin for not winning enough big games. However, if some of the other jobs we mention become available, Franklin’s options will grow.
But what if James Franklin wants Virginia Tech?
Everything lines up for Franklin and the Hokies. Franklin has dominated the Mid-Atlantic region in recruiting since taking over at Penn State in 2014. He’s beaten the Hokies time and again for some of the Commonwealth’s best players.
Maybe Franklin doesn’t want to wait for other jobs and wants to get started working at his next stop? No, he won’t be coaching this season, but he can build his staff and start working on assembling Tech’s 2026 recruiting class. You can bet Franklin will bring multiple former Penn State players to Blacksburg if he’s the guy. If Franklin wants to be in Blacksburg and the Hokies want him, it makes sense for both sides to wrap this up soon and use the media to their advantage.
Recruiting hasn’t been fun for the Hokies in the last few months due to the uncertainty around the coaching situation. Once Franklin agrees to terms — or if he does — everything changes.
Virginia Tech fans should be excited. However, as we all know, until it’s official, we should approach the situation with caution. How many times have the Hokies been disappointed over the years?
There isn’t a more perfect situation for Franklin in this coaching carousel. He probably knows that. He has a chance to win immediately in the ACC. And if Franklin turns around Virginia Tech, he’s forever a legend.
The most interesting thing here is Franklin’s relationship with Pry. The two met back during the 1990s when Franklin was a quarterback at East Stroudsburg and Pry was a young coach. When Franklin got his first head coaching job at Vanderbilt in 2011, he hired Pry, who worked with him for the next 11 seasons at Vandy and Penn State. The fact that Franklin is interested in the job tells you that Pry didn’t warn him away from it. Franklin will not be answering to athletic director Whit Babcock like Pry did either.
Buckle up, Hokies. Things could get exciting soon.
