As the Virginia Tech search committee was beginning its search to find Bret Pry's replacement as head coach in Blacksburg, the perfect candidate fell into their lap. A month after Pry was fired, so too was James Franklin at Penn State.
It made all the sense in the world for the Virginia Tech search committee to make Franklin their top target. After a month of pursuing and pushing, Virginia Tech landed Franklin as the school's next head coach. He hit the ground running in recruiting and in terms of coaching turnover and roster turnover. What the hiring also did was land one of the best college football coaches in the ACC.
CBS Sports recently ranked the 17 ACC head coaches going into the 2026 season, and it should come as no surprise that Franklin came into the ACC and vaulted right up to the top of the rankings without coaching a game.
CBS Sports ranks James Franklin high among 2026 ACC head coaches
Chip Patterson of CBS Sports ranked the 17 ACC head coaches going into the season. Miami's Mario Cristobal was No. 1, and Clemson's Dabo Swinney was No. 2. Franklin was third, right ahead of Rhett Lashley of SMU. For the record, Virginia Tech plays all three teams this season, on the road. However, the addition of Franklin is not only about this year, but the bigger picture.
"Franklin's success at both Vanderbilt and Penn State has primed Virginia Tech fans to envision a return to ACC title contention, and while his dismissal from the Nittany Lions set him back a few spots on the national scene (down six spots from No. 7 last year) he still falls in the top three among his new conference rivals,'' Patterson wrote.
It was clear that the search committee needed to nail the hire, and Franklin would qualify for that. Talk about falling right into your lap. It couldn't have been scripted better. Is Franklin going to turn the Hokies into an ACC contender in Year 1? That's going to be tough, but Franklin has a vision beyond 2026, and it's about the future as well. If we're talking about the future, then yes, Franklin will have Virginia Tech as a conference contender before too long.
It has been said before and will be said again: Virginia Tech is a sleeping giant waiting to be woken up. The fanbase has been waiting for it since Frank Beamer retired. Over time, the program took steps back under Justin Fuente and Pry. However, Franklin certainly moves the needle in the opposite direction, and it shouldn't take too long for that to happen. James Franklin coming in and landing at No. 3 without coaching a game in the ACC is not what the top teams in the conference want to see right now, given his history of turning around programs like Vanderbilt and Penn State.
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