Pete Thamel of ESPN reported on College GameDay that former Penn State coach James Franklin and Virginia Tech were in early talks for him to become the Hokies' head coach. Honestly, anyone who has been following all the smoke that the last couple of weeks knows that discussions have been happening for a while.
There has been a lot of smoke around Franklin to Virginia Tech for some time, and whether it gets done or not remains to be seen. Some feel that Thamel's report was so that Virginia Tech's search committee could get an answer sooner rather than later. Time will tell.
College football inside hints at potential road block with James Franklin to Virginia Tech
Brett McMurphy of On3 posted on his X account Saturday afternoon about a potential roadblock with James Franklin landing in Blacksburg. It has already been on fans' minds.
"How messed up is college football? Virginia Tech wants an answer from James Franklin, but he could have an eye on Florida State (if it opens). So if Hokies beat FSU today, they could increase chances of Norvell's firing & ultimately hurt Tech’s chances in hiring Franklin,'' McMurphy wrote.
Virginia Tech visits Florida State on Saturday night in primetime, and it could be considered the "James Franklin Bowl.'' FSU has said that it will reevaluate head coach Mike Norvell's future after the season ends. The Hokies will enter the contest as a two-touchdown underdog, but a Virginia Tech win could be the end of Norvell's tenure in Tallahassee. If that were to happen, Franklin might be the next Seminoles head coach.
At 3-6, a bowl game is all but out of the question for Virginia Tech, but at 4-5, FSU still has a clear path to a bowl game after a 2-10 season last year. Virginia Tech is not going to throw the game and lose to increase their chances of landing Franklin, but it makes you wonder, is McMurphy onto something?