When Penn State fired James Franklin as football coach, he immediately became the top target of every school that had or was planning on having an opening. A month before he was fired in State College, his former defensive coordinator, Brent Pry, was fired in Blacksburg.
Long before Franklin was fired at Penn State, Virginia Tech had formed a search committee to find Pry's replacement. As soon as Franklin became available, the full-court press was on. In mid-November, he was officially hired as the next Hokies head coach in what was a home run hire, the type of hire the school needed.
There are several reasons to like the hire for Virginia Tech. More importantly, the hire is one that moves the needle in several ways. With that said, Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports said what all college football fans know about the hiring of Franklin at Virginia Tech.
CBS Sports said what all college football fans know about the hiring of James Franklin at Virginia Tech
Fornelli listed "Five college football teams Tom Fornelli can't quit going into 2026." The schools mentioned were Florida, Kansas State, Michigan State, USC, and Virginia Tech. What he said about Franklin and Hokies, well, is the honest truth as the veteran coach tries to turn around a program begging to be woken up.
"Unlike at Penn State, though, he doesn't have to fight Ohio State and Michigan (and now Oregon and USC) to get there. Climbing the ranks of the ACC should be far easier, and I don't think it'll take the Hokies very long to find themselves on a solid footing,'' wrote Fornelli.
Franklin's Penn State critics, and there are a lot of them, will point to his inability to win the big game. Sure, the numbers don't lie, but I guess two wins in the 2024 College Football Playoff against SMU and Boise State, along with a last-second loss to Notre Dame in the semifinals, isn't good enough or move the needle enough. Imagine if they were beaten by Ohio State in the championship game like Notre Dame was? Yikes.
However, Fornelli isn't wrong when it comes to winning in the ACC being easier than winning and turning things around quickly in the SEC and Big Ten. Sure, he'll have to contend with Miami, Clemson, and SMU, but there is no Indiana, Ohio State, or Michigan on the schedule in the ACC. It's not going to be easy, but it's certainly much more manageable.
Expecting a major turnaround in Year 1 of Franklin in Blacksburg is somewhat unrealistic; however, a decent bowl game is not out of the question. Who knows, maybe the Hokies find lightning in a bottle sooner rather than later.
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