On Wednesday morning, James Franklin was officially introduced as Virginia Tech's next head football coach. Since it was announced on Monday night, Franklin has been busy reaching out to recruits and setting up official visits this weekend in Blacksburg when the Hokies host Miami.
Franklin also needs to fill out his staff both on the field and behind the scenes. In this day and age of college football and college sports in general, players, coaches, and staff personnel are not moving schools except for one reason: the coach and staff. It seems like Franklin is about to raid Penn State and bring some of his staff from State College to Blacksburg.
James Franklin reportedly bring some Penn State staffers with him to Virginia Tech
At Franklin's introductory press conference on Wednesday morning, Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock was asked about a GM for the program, and he danced around the answer, ultimately leaving the decision up to Franklin, which was not surprising. It appears why he dodged the question as best as he could.
In what was first reported by Blue White Illustrated from On3, Franklin is bringing Penn State's general manager of personnel and recruitment, Andy Frank, and chief of staff, Kevin Threlkel, to Virginia Tech. That would be huge and not surprising. In fact, it might only be the start of things to come in what could be a Penn State to Virginia Tech pipeline.
More moves are expected to come by the end of the season, from Penn State to Virginia Tech, with staff members. It wouldn't be surprising to see players follow Franklin to Blacksburg through the Transfer Portal, as well as high school commits. The early signing period is Dec. 3, just a couple of weeks away.
Franklin is in a unique position being hired before the end of the season, and expect him to take advantage of the head start that he has on other programs in terms of building for 2026 and beyond.