When Virginia Tech fired Brent Pry as head coach in September, one thing was for sure: the school needed to nail the next hire. After Justin Fuente and Pry followed Frank Beamer, things haven't gone well. In fact, the program has taken some steps backwards.
The search committee formed by the school needed to nail the hire. When they were former, little did they know that Penn State was going to fire James Franklin. It ended a tenure in State College, where he won 68% of his games. However, patience grew thin, and athletic director Pat Kraft made the decision to move on from him.
Penn State's loss was Virginia Tech's gain two months later. Franklin was officially hired in mid-November, and he hit the ground running. Now, nearly six months later, his fingerprints are all over the Hokies program. In fact, in the six months on the job, a lot of people are noticing the job he's doing.
ESPN ranks Virginia Tech in the top half of the ACC in terms of offseason makeover
Eli Lederman, Max Olson, and Adam Rittenberg of ESPN ranked all power conference teams in their respective conferences in terms of roster turnover, retention, and coaching staff. When it comes to Virginia Tech in the ACC, the Hokies came in at No. 5.
There is no doubt that the roster has gone through an overhaul, and there is more talent from the Transfer Portal, incoming freshmen alone. Franklin also got some key retention from Virginia Tech's 2025 roster. Maybe one of the biggest additions was former Nittany Lions quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer.
In a surprise move, Pry is back with the program just months after being fired. He will be Franklin's defensive coordinator, a position the two thrived together with at Penn State before Pry left to be the head coach in Blacksburg. Franklin had a coaching staff turnover, bringing in some assistants from Penn State and plucking assistants from other schools.
Overall, this offseason has gone better than most would have hoped it would for Virginia Tech after the coaching change, search, and roster turnover. Now the results are needed on the field, and if they are, some feel the Hokies could be a dark horse in 2026.
Hiring James Franklin, letting him cook in the portal, and recruiting, along with retention and coaching staff additions and bold retentions, this offseason has been a good one in Blacksburg. ESPN agrees.
Add us as a preferred source on Google