If there is one thing that James Franklin has done at Virginia Tech since arriving in November, it's been turning things around. Not only is that going unnoticed by the fanbase and across college football, but also with former Virginia Tech stars.
One of those former stars is defensive back D'Angelo Hall. The former NFL standout and Virginia Tech Hall of Famer was recently on campus for a visit and met up with Franklin. There have been a lot of positive things that have been said by former Hokies players who played under different staffs, and Hall is one of them.
Former Virginia Tech star D'Angelo Hall doesn't beat around the bush on the James Franklin hire
Hall spoke to Hard Rock Bet on several different subjects, and one of them was Franklin and Virginia Tech. He was asked about his thoughts on the state of Virginia Tech football heading into the 2026 campaign.
"Well, they have been recruiting their butts off, and that’s already half the battle,'' Hall said. "You have got to get talent through the door, and that’s something we have struggled with in the last 10 years. No disrespect to anyone, but I’m used to top classes coming to Virginia Tech. Watching James Franklin recruit has been a thing of beauty.''
When Franklin was hired, you just knew that things were going to change for the better at Virginia Tech. Sure, there was going to be some roster turnover; however, let's not overlook some of the key retention that Franklin and his staff got. Then he got a dozen former players from Penn State to follow him to Blacksburg. He also did a nice job of flipping some of his Class of 2026 commits from Penn State to Virginia Tech.
Speaking of recruiting, you knew it was only going to be a matter of time before Franklin raised the stakes at Virginia Tech in recruiting. That has happened with the Class of 2027. The Hokies are hovering around a Top 10 ranking in the rising senior class, something that hasn't been seen in a while in Blacksburg.
Read More: James Franklin and Virginia Tech secure a much-needed in-state commitment for 2027 LB
As Hall mentioned, no disrespect to Justin Fuente or Brent Pry, the two head coaches before Franklin, but recruiting was a struggle. You could make the case that it was like that for different reasons. Fuente didn't attack the same way Frank Beamer did, and Pry tried, but just didn't have any luck. It wasn't for lack of effort, that's for sure.
There is no doubt that things are on the up in Blacksburg. The school is pumping more into athletics, and they just hired Brian White as AD away from Florida Atlantic, with Franklin's blessing. Hall is the latest to speak out about the way things look from the outside with the Hokies program, and things will continue to go up from here as long as Franklin is in charge. Now it's just a matter of time to see the results on the field.
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