When Virginia Tech hired James Franklin as their next football coach, it signaled some big changes were on the way in Blacksburg. The changes were going to be done in several areas that needed it from the previous staff.
If there is one thing that Franklin knows how to do from his time at Vanderbilt and Penn State, it's building depth throughout the roster. When the Transfer Portal opened and after signing a slew of Class of 2026 players that originally committed to Franklin at Penn State, the roster-building and addition of depth were underway. Let's not overlook the retention from the previous staff.
With his frst spring practices in the books in Blacksburg, Franklin didn't beat around the bush about what the program was missing and that he is doing to fix it.
James Franklin makes big changes to roster-building at Virginia Tech
When Franklin took over, he took a deep dive into the program. To help him out, he made the bold decision to bring Brent Pry back as his defensive coordinator. Yes, the same Brent Pry that the school fired three months earlier as head coach. In talking with Pry, doing a deep evaluation, he came to one conclusion. More depth throughout the roster was needed.
"We have to have 2½ to 3 deep at every position," Franklin said. "We are in a much better position with that right now, and our guys have embraced that."
Mission accomplished. However, it also helped that Franklin had more resources than Pry and his staff had. However, building depth is something that needs to be done. What helped was the portal and the number of former Penn State players coming from State College to Blacksburg.
Virginia Tech's lack of depth last season was exposed when Pry was fired, and players decided to hit the portal in September and October. That left interim coach Philip Montgomery in a tough spot for the remainder of the season, which saw them go 3-6 under Montgomery. Of course, a lack of talent came into play, but the depth took a major hit.
That likely won't be a problem in Blacksburg under Franklin. He appears to have addressed the problem head-on and is prepared for a long season in the fall.
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