When the Virginia Tech football search committee began looking for the next head coach in Blacksburg to replace Brent Pry, who was fired in September, little did they know who was about to become available. A month after Pry was fired at Virginia Tech, James Franklin was fired at Penn State.
After weeks of rumors, Franklin was officially hired at Virginia Tech in mid-November, and the Hokies had their coach whom they hope can turn things around. As soon as he was hired in Blacksburg, Franklin hit the ground running in recruiting with the Class of 2026.
Next came a roster overhaul from the current roster that his former defensive coordinator, Pry, had put together with his staff. Some players were retained, and those who needed to be, but there was going to be a need through the Transfer Portal at multiple positions to upgrade. Mission accomplished.
James Franklin gets a perfect portal grade from CBS Sports
There was a significant roster turnover, and it was necessary. Franklin needed to flush as much of the 3-9 2025 season as he could. Again, there was some retention of key players, including running backs Marcellous Hawkins and Jeffrey Overton, Jr., wide receiver Ayden Greene, and defensive lineman Kemari Copeland.
As well as Franklin did in terms of retention, he did even better work through the portal. When the dust settled, he had a dozen players follow him from Penn State to Virginia Tech and added just over two dozen players through the portal. Where does this rank among other first-year head coaches? David Cobb of CBS Sports gave Franklin a B, but also cautioned Hokies fans not to think too big too early in Franklin's tenure.
"The floor is much higher than it was for last year's 3-9 team, but the Hokies aren't quite talented enough yet to reach the ACC's upper quadrant,'' wrote Cobb.
Honestly, there is nowhere to go but up in terms of last fall's team. It was the most frustrating and disappointing season in a long time. That's saying a lot after the 2024 season that didn't come anywhere close to meeting preseason expectations.
However, nobody is expecting a 10 or 11-win season and berth in the College Football Playoff in Year 1 for Franklin in Blacksburg. That's just nuts. Depending on what you read, you could see a nine-win season, which would be something given the schedule Virginia Tech has, or they will need to beat Virginia at home Thanksgiving Weekend just to become bowl-eligible. A successful first season would be seven wins, or maybe eight.
The roster additions will be noticeable as the season goes along, and if the Hokies can stay healthy at some key positions, then seven or eight wins are not out of the question. There is also something that Virginia Tech hasn't had in a while: depth on the roster.
Virginia Tech's grade is in the middle of where other schools that have a first-year head coach are, but the expectations in Blacksburg should be playing in a bowl game this year, and then expect strides with each passing year with Franklin at the helm in the ACC.
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