Virginia Tech is finalizing a deal to make James Franklin the school's next head coach, sources told ESPN on Monday. The deal is expected to be completed in the near future.
Franklin is the former coach at both Penn State and Vanderbilt, where he went 128-60 over 15 seasons. He brings a resume that includes winning more than 68% of his games, an appearance in the semi-finals of the 2024 College Football Playoff and a Big Ten championship in 2016.
He'll replace his former defensive coordinator, Brent Pry, who was fired in September after an 0-3 start and a 16-24 record through four seasons.
Franklin's arrival in Blacksburg will give the Hokies their most accomplished coach since Hall of Famer Frank Beamer, who retired in 2015 after 29 seasons at the school. Since that time, Tech has endured the underwhelming tenures of Justin Fuente and Pry as the school struggled to assimilate to modern college football.
After firing Pry, Tech's Board of Visitors passed a plan to add $229 million to the athletics budget over the next four years. The move was to help make Tech a more attractive job and attract a candidate that could revive the school's lagging football fortunes.
In Franklin, they get an established coach whose availability on the open market wasn't even considered a possibility at the start of the 2025 season. Penn State began the season ranked No. 2 in the country.
Franklin's teams endured three-straight losses to open the season, including a double-overtime loss to No. 6 Oregon when they were ranked No. 3 in September.
After losses to UCLA and Northwestern, Penn State fired Franklin. They were originally on the hook for $49 million for his contract, but that number is subject to off-set and should end up being significantly less pending the terms of his Virginia Tech contract.
Franklin came to Penn State in 2014 in the throes of NCAA sanctions from the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal. He pushed the program through a dark period and led them to the Rose Bowl and Big Ten title in 2016.
Franklin's tenure was ultimately defined by general success that never manifested itself at the very highest levels of winning, as he finished 4-21 at Penn State against AP Top 10 opponents. Over his 12 seasons there, he led Penn State to six seasons of double-digit victories, including three-straight from 2022 to 2024.
Virginia Tech hasn't won double-digit games since Fuente's first season in 2016. From 2004 to 2011, Tech won double-digit games each season under Beamer.
Franklin brings strong ties to the I-95 corridor, including the talent-rich DMV area. Along with recruiting that area heavily at Penn State, Franklin coached two stints at Maryland as an assistant and one year at James Madison.
