It has been over six months since Virginia Tech made the hiring of James Franklin official. After he was fired at Penn State in October, he was the clear target for Virginia Tech's search committee to replace his former defensive coordinator, Brent Pry, as head coach in Blacksburg.
Once the hiring was official, the excitement around the program was not only within the fanbase and the rest of the college football world, but also with some analysts. Expectations for some of the Hokies could be considered a little unrealistic, but for the most part, within the fanbase, there is nowhere to go but up after a dismal 2025 campaign.
Several analysts have chimed in on their feelings about the Virginia Tech program under Franklin, and Taylor Tannebaum is the latest.
Taylor Tannebaum latest analyst to jump on Virginia Tech hype train under James Franklin
ESPN analysts Eric Mac Lain and former Virginia Tech standout Eddie Royal recently expressed their thoughts on the program in 2026 and beyond with Franklin in charge. Now, you can add Tannebaum to the list.
“James Franklin has proven to build and rebuild and continue to build every stop he’s been at, Vanderbilt and Penn State,” said Tannebaum. “I feel the momentum. I see it. As I already said, they have like a top-20 newcomer class in the country. I like their quarterback, who’s had real-time Big Ten experience in Ethan Grunkemeyer.
"The 2027 class is already one of the best in the country, not that they’re going to be on the field this year. But I think the expectation level is raised there. You’re seeing the buy-in from the donors."
The buy-in from the donors is real. Just look at what happened last week with the $75 million donation. It's just the beginning of the school investing in the program and athletics in general. Given the current state of college athletics and NIL, Virginia Tech was far behind in terms of resources to compete with the other programs in the ACC and across the country.
As far as Virginia Tech's football program goes, would it be surprising if Franklin turns things around quickly? Not really. There has been an influx of talent brought in from the Transfer Portal that is going to make an impact right away, including quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer from Penn State.
However, as much hype as there is, there needs to be a sense of reality. Expecting a season that ends up with a berth in the College Football Playoff would be great, but really, that should be considered unrealistic. An eight-win season would be great, and who knows, maybe they could sneak in a ninth win? Most fans would take seven wins, but six likely would be considered a disappointment. Regardless, Tannebaum is the latest to jump on the excitement that is Virginia Tech football under James Franklin entering 2026.
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