James Franklin following his introductory press conference as Virginia Tech head coach. (Photo via Virginia Tech Football on X)
Just 39 days after his firing from Penn State, former head coach James Franklin was formally introduced as the head coach at Virginia Tech on Wednesday.
Franklin wasted no time finding another job, which reduced Penn State’s buyout from approximately $49 million to a negotiated $9 million. On Wednesday, Franklin spoke for the first time as Virginia Tech’s head coach, laying out his vision for the program and the future for the Hokies.
Top Penn State Takeaways from James Franklin’s Introductory Virginia Tech Press Conference
James Franklin Goes All-In on Virginia Recruiting
Franklin stated Wednesday that he is already deep into recruiting for Virginia Tech.
Franklin mentioned that he already had “40 players on the phone” on Monday night, recruiting them to Virginia Tech. Franklin noted that he has already called all of the top players in the state of Virginia this week. Finally, Franklin mentioned that Virginia Tech will have a ton of recruits on official visits this weekend.
For Penn State, this includes Franklin reaching out and offering Penn State’s commits and former commits under Franklin.
Under Franklin, Penn State dipped into Virginia to pull key pieces of recruiting classes often, like linebacker Tony Rojas and offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh.
Franklin made sure in his introductory press conference to put an emphasis on Virginia Tech doing better in recruiting the state of Virginia, which will give Penn State more of a battle to pull those players out of the state.
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Transfer Portal Strategy Could Impact Penn State Roster
James Franklin announced his intention to use the transfer portal to fill Virginia Tech’s roster for 2026, in addition to recruiting the current players on the Virginia Tech roster.
“In year 1, we are going to have the opportunity to use the portal differently than any other year,” Franklin noted, not so subtly hinting at using the transfer portal to bring a number of Penn State players to Virginia Tech next season.
In Happy Valley, Franklin typically viewed the transfer portal as a way to supplement the Nittany Lions’ roster that was built around elite high school recruiting, and sounds like he plans to deploy the same strategy in Blacksburg.
However, at least initially, Franklin seems ready to raid Penn State’s roster, bringing players he originally recruited with him to the Hokies.
Franklin Finally Thanks Happy Valley
To the many fans who were clamoring about why James Franklin not putting out a statement thanking the Nittany Lions, and PSU fans, like other coaches have, Franklin did finally give a thank you to Penn State on Wednesday.
“I want to thank Penn State. I had 12 years there,” Franklin said. “It’s very unusual in college football to get 12 years at a place. Most importantly the relationships, the staff the players.”
Staff Poaching Is a Real Possibility
Finally, James Franklin mentioned that he will begin filling out his coaching staff, both looking at coaches that are already at Virginia Tech and coaches elsewhere.
“I’m going to bring the best fit for Virginia Tech,” Franklin said. “I am going to have the opportunity to track some of the best coaches in the country.”
Franklin will likely look to poach the coaches on the current Penn State staff to fill out his staff at Virginia Tech.
The new Hokies head coach also became overwhelmed by emotion, when discussing former Hokies head coach and Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Brent Pry. Franklin could look for a place on his new staff for Pry, to return to Blacksburg, after being fired earlier this season.
For Penn State, this is critical both for retaining good coaches for the next head coach and also for keeping coaches with a recruiting footprint in the DMV.
As expected, James Franklin staying within the recruiting footprint for Penn State will present challenges for Penn State.
The next head coach will have his work cut out for him in retaining both players and coaches from the 2025 Nittany Lions for 2026.
Penn State Coaching Search Hot Board Narrows: Who’s Still in the Running After Major Extensions?
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