James Franklin gives Virginia Tech perfect CEO figure as Hokies invest heavily in resurrecting program

Early in the 2025 season, Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock went before the university board and made a plea: The Hokies needed to make significant investments in the football program to get out of the ACC cellar. 

Despite strong fan support and tradition, Virginia Tech ranked near the bottom of the conference in funding. As a result, they have five losing seasons in six years and have quickly atrophied since legendary coach Frank Beamer retired. 

Fundamentally, Virginia Tech needed a figure who could walk in and drag the program into the modern era of college football. In hiring James Franklin, Virginia Tech has exceeded all expectations. 

Franklin is not only the top candidate on the coaching market but one of the best coaches in history to enter free agency. Last year, Franklin ranked No. 7 in CBS Sports' ranking of the best coaches in the sport. He is a future Hall of Fame program builder, posting a 128-60 career record and leading Penn State to the national semifinals just one year ago. 

In the wake of his firing at Penn State, focus shifted to Franklin's failings at the elite levels of college football. His 2-21 record against AP top six opponents marks the second-worst record of any coach with at least 20 such games (ironically behind Virginia Tech legend Frank Beamer). Virginia Tech smartly looked past it. 

Virginia Tech hires James Franklin: Hokies make splash tabbing ex-Penn State coach to fill vacancy

Will Backus

Why James Franklin is home-run hire for Virginia Tech

Let's, for a moment, talk about Franklin's success. In his first job at Vanderbilt, he led the Commodores to 18 wins in two seasons. Clark Lea is rightly getting his flowers, but he could only even match that mark by winning out. 

Then, Franklin went to Penn State and won the program's first outright Big Ten title in more than 20 years. The Nittany Lions posted six 10-win seasons and five AP top 10 finishes in 12 years. The number of programs that could match that achievement can be counted on two hands. 

Granted, the final year of the Franklin era was a massive disappointment. Penn State invested heavily in its 2025 roster, and the program stunningly limped out to a 3-3 start -- headlined by a loss to Northwestern -- before Franklin was fired. The season was a train wreck, and Franklin had to answer for it. 

But at Virginia Tech, these are champagne problems. What's not in question is that Franklin is one of the great program builders of the 21st century. And at Virginia Tech, he should immediately change everything. 

Franklin had serious leverage heading into the coaching market, especially as numerous Power Four jobs started to open. Nine Power Four programs have already fired head coaches. However, Virginia Tech emerged as a natural fit because of his skillset and ties to the Northeast. And, without question, he was able to get important concessions from the university in exchange for taking the job. There's zero chance he would take the Virginia Tech opening if they were to continue as a small-money program. 

For years, Franklin was an assistant coach at Maryland, and even was at one point named Maryland's head coach-in-waiting. He also recruited Pennsylvania, Virginia and New Jersey heavily, becoming one of the most successful coaches in the region. At a time where the SEC and other major powers have started raiding Virginia, Franklin should be able to fight back at Virginia Tech. 

But, more importantly, Franklin is a ruthless CEO. He helped maximize Penn State's potential in recruiting and fan support. Franklin also has a strong track record of hiring assistant coaches (ironically, including the man he's replacing, Brent Pry). He will immediately become the most powerful figure in the athletic department and win over the Southern Virginia community. 

Virginia Tech is a passionate fanbase and athletic department with a history of winning at the highest level. James Franklin is the perfect man to bring them back.