If you hear Virginia Tech fans say, "Here we go again,'' it is understandable. They have seen this scenario play out before, and it didn't play out very well.
On Tuesday, it was reported by Pete Thamel of ESPN that new Virginia Tech football coach James Franklin was hiring Penn State co-offensive coordinator Ty Howle as his OC in Blacksburg. Howle was a tight ends coach in State College under Franklin, and he developed some of the best tight ends not only in the Big Ten, but also some of the best tight ends in the country.
He was a former offensive lineman for the Nittany Lions and a captain. Now, he's coming to Virginia Tech with very little play-calling experience. Hokies' fans have been down this road before, and they know that it didn't work out well for Brent Pry.
James Franklin going down risky road with offensive coordinator hire at Virginia Tech
Pry hired Tyler Bowen to be his offensive coordinator at Virginia Tech, and well, it didn't go so well. He had never been an OC before coming to Blacksburg, and it showed. He sturggled early in the season and got better as the season went along. Maybe his best stretch was in 2023 in the win over Virginia to become bowl-eligible, and the Military Bowl win over Tulane.
After Pry made some coaching changes last December, Bowen survived them, but in February, he left Virginia Tech to take the offensive line coach position with Ryan Day at Ohio State. It was a surprising move, and Pry hired Philip Montgomery as his replacement. He had plenty of success as not only an OC but also as a head coach.
As far as Franklin and Howle go, this is another risky move, but given Franklin's history as a head coach, it's a risk he could take over someone like Pry. Howle is a great recruiter and will grow into his job as a play-caller. It's just whether or not he'll do it right away or have some growing pains that hopefully will not last as long as Bowen's did.