In this day and age, recruiting is all about relationships. Long gone are the days of players committing to schools for the name of the school. Sure, there are probably some instances where that is still the case, but for the most part, it's all about relationships.
That has been the case when it comes to new Virginia Tech coach James Franklin. It was the case with James Franklin long before NIL became the reality of college sports. It is easy to see why with his personality and success on the field.
When he was fired at Penn State and hired in November in Blacksburg, he had a lot of work to do when it came to rebuilding the roster for 2026. After he was hired, he got to work in several areas, and one of them came at the expense of his former employer.
CFB writer says what is a nightmare scenario for Penn State with regards to James Franklin
Craig Haubert of ESPN ranked the top 25 portal classes from the latest cycle, and Virginia Tech came in at No. 14. Before Penn State fans get their panties all in a bunch, the Nittany Lions were sixth. Now it could have been a lot higher if not for Franklin and the dozen players he plucked to join him in Blacksburg.
"James Franklin's arrival supercharged Virginia Tech's recruiting efforts and established a well-traveled pipeline of former Penn State players or commits headed to Blacksburg. While most of his splashy additions came from the high school ranks, Franklin also dipped into the portal,'' wrote Haubert.
There is no doubt that Franklin has supercharged several efforts with the Hokies, but he was able to accomplish what Nittany Lions' fans said he couldn't: he landed several players from Penn State through the Transfer Portal. It's all about relationships, and the Penn State to Virginia Tech pipeline is real.