After Virginia Tech hired James Franklin to replace the outgoing Brent Pry as head football coach, it put a lot of eyes on the program. Then, Franklin surprised a lot of people by bringing Pry back as his defensive coordinator in a stunning move.
Let's make no mistake about it, the hiring of Franklin in Blacksburg can jump-start the program from a sleeping giant back into the national spotlight. It's not going to happen overnight, but it's going to happen sooner than some might think. As for the 2026 Hokies, they are a team that could surprise, according to ESPN.
Virginia Tech predicted to surprise in 2026 under James Franklin
Look, saying that Virginia Tech will surprise next fall would be a bit of an understatement. They have nowhere to go but up after a dreadful 3-9 season that had the program hit rock bottom for the first time in a long time. That's saying something. However, David Hale of ESPN thinks the Hokies are a team to keep an eye on.
"James Franklin at Virginia Tech. No one should reasonably expect Franklin to have the Hokies in the playoff hunt in his first year on the job, but after more than a decade with the program largely adrift, the feeling is the former Penn State coach can finally create some positive vibes around Blacksburg and get Virginia Tech pointed in the right direction. He's brought in a good bit of talent -- much of it from Penn State -- and the school is spending money. This isn't exactly the same as Curt Cignetti raising Indiana from the dead, but the combination of a big-name coach and a cash infusion makes Virginia Tech a great test case for long-struggling programs in the revenue share era,'' wrote Hale.
Look, Franklin is going to get what he needs to make Virginia Tech relevant again and make them relevant sooner rather than later. There are several storylines to keep an eye on, and maybe none bigger than Pry coming back to the school that fired him in September as the head coach to be Franklin's DC. I mean, that might be the biggest bizarre offseason story. However, if there are people who can pull it off and make it work, it's Franklin and Pry.
There has been an influx of talent added to a roster that lacked in 2025. They should be better at several positions, and they should have some young players make immediate impacts right away. It is going to be a daunting ACC schedule in Year 1 for Franklin, but if there is someone who could survive it, it's Franklin.