Early on Sunday night, Elijah Brooks, who was beloved by the Virginia Tech fanbase and players on the team, announced on his X account that after three years in Blacksburg, he was moving on to his next chapter. Given the success he had at Virginia Tech on Brent Pry's staff, he won't be unemployed for long.
That left a lot of people wondering what Franklin's next move was going to be and who he was going to bring in to replace Brooks. Over the last week-plus, Franklin has been putting together his first staff, including former assistants from Penn State, and retaining some of the current staff who were under Pry. Heck, he's even reportedly bringing back Pry to be his defensive coordinator next season, which is, yes, awkward to say the least.
Late Sunday night, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported that Franklin is targeting Georgia Tech running backs coach Norval McKenzie to join his staff at Virginia Tech.
James Franklin reportedly hiring Georgia Tech RB coach Norval McKenzie at Virginia Tech
If this ends up becoming the hire, what a hire this is for Franklin. McKenzie comes with a ton of experience, having stops at Louisville, Furman, and Arkansas State. He was a big part of the Yellow Jackets running for nearly 2,500 yards and 30 touchdowns this year. McKenzie played his college football at Vanderbilt.
Coming to Virginia Tech, he will have some talented backs to work with, assuming they are retained. Brooks did wonders with true freshman Jeffrey Overton, Jr., once he was healthy late in the season, and Marcellous Hawkins had a good first season in Blacksburg under Brooks.
Franklin has incoming freshman Messiah Mickens signed for 2026, and if Overton Jr. and Hawkins stay, McKenzie will begin his first season at Virginia Tech with a very talented room that he will be inheriting.