It has been over a month since Penn State fired James Franklin, and since then, there have been rumors about him landing at Virginia Tech. Smoke has been around it for a while, but after the search committee and anyone else involved with the search have signed NDAs.
Getting information is tough, and everything is speculated on rumors. There has been smoke surrounding it. Franklin was in Virginia on Thursday night and attended the Troy/Old Dominion matchup in Norfolk, which the Monarchs won 33-0.
Before the game, David Teel of The Virginian-Pilot posted on his account that he asked Franklin before the game about the Virginia Tech opening, and he declined to comment. Again, if there is any truth to the smoke that has been building, he likely has signed an NDA and can't comment anyway.
Prior to kickoff here at ODU, I asked James Franklin about his interest in #Hokies. He was friendly, polite and declined comment. Said he is here to support two coaches -- Monarchs' Ricky Rahne and Troy's Gerad Parker, who worked for him at Penn State.
— David Teel (@ByDavidTeel) November 14, 2025
James Franklin visiting former assistant coaches
Teel reported that Franklin said that he was there to support two coaches who worked for him at previous stops, ODU head coach Ricky Rahne, and Troy's Gerard Parker. Ironically, it was Rahne that ended Brent Pry's tenure in Blacksburg after a Week 3 blowout win over Virginia Tech.
Rahne started on Franklin's staff at Vanderbilt before he went to Penn State, and Rahne followed him before getting the job at Old Dominion. He was Franklin's offensive coordinator at Penn State before making the jump to Norfolk.
As far as Virginia Tech goes, Franklin continues to be a name that surrounds the program. The weekend after he was fired at Penn State, he made an appearance on College GameDay, stating that he wanted to coach again as soon as possible. It's what he does. It's in his blood. There are other jobs open besides Virginia Tech that could come make a push for Franklin as this coaching carousel cycle is about to get crazy.