James Franklin contract details: What the new Virginia Tech coach will earn in salary and bonuses annually

Virginia Tech coach James Franklin will make around $8.2 million annually on the five-year deal he signed with the Hokies, the university announced Friday. Though that is around $300,000 less than he was making at Penn State, it does keep him among the top 20 highest-paid coaches in college football.

Franklin's compensation is also staggered. He's set to make $500,000 in base annual salary with the rest of the money coming from incentives. Franklin will make more money each year of the deal, with the contract's value set to peak at $12.75 million in 2030. 

Notably, Virginia Tech is also increasing Franklin's salary pool to $15.5 million, which means that he'll have plenty of money to assemble his inaugural coaching staff with the Hokies. Here's a look at the other incentives baked into Franklin's first contract: 

• He can make up to $250,000 in bonuses for 12-win seasons. 
• He'll be awarded $150,000 for any coach of the year awards. 
• Franklin will receive bonuses for ACC Championship Game and College Football Playoff appearances with an $800,000 for winning a national title. 

Penn State and Franklin also agreed to a reduced buyout in light of his hiring at Virginia Tech. Instead of paying Franklin $49 million over the course of six years, Penn State is on the hook for just $9 million of Franklin's previous agreement with the school. 

Penn State fired Franklin in October amid a 3-3 start to the 2025 season. He departed the Nittany Lions with a 104-45 overall record, three top-10 finishes in the AP Top 25 poll, one Big Ten title (2016) and an appearance in the 2024 College Football Playoff. 

Franklin is set to replace Brent Pry, his former defensive coordinator at Penn State. Pry never won more than seven games with the Hokies, who were 0-3 at the time of his departure in September.