When James Franklin was fired at Penn State, he went on ESPN College GameDay and made it clear that he wanted to coach again, and he sounded like someone who wanted to do it as early as 2026. He's getting his chance.
Six weeks after the appearance, he was hired at Virginia Tech, replacing his former defensive coordinator, Brent Pry, as the head coach. It was a tremendous hire for the school and program. He has already made a significant impact in recruiting, securing a Top 25 class for the Class of 2026, and is expected to remain active in the Transfer Portal.
As far as retaining the current roster, there are some players that he would like to bring back. The first episode of "Set In Stone'', a documentary from the school that gives fans an exclusive look at Franklin's first 72 hours in Blacksburg, was put together by the program's YouTube page. The first episode was dropped on Thursday night and well, there was a quote from Franklin in the episode that should fire fans up even more for Franklin's arrival.
James Franklin sends warning message about the future of Virginia Tech program
In the first episode, it was about Franklin's press conference, meeting some Virginia Tech coaches and former coaches, as well as meeting with the team for the first time, which at the time was under the guidance of Philip Montgomery. He had a quote that stuck out and should be music to fans' ears about the future of the program.
"We have a lot of hard work to do,'' said Franklin. "We have tough decisions to make, but I want to do it with you guys. I got a huge chip on my shoulder, a huge chip on my shoulder. I want to do it with you guys. When I was growing up, Virginia Tech was the sexy school. They were kicking ass and taking names. It's time for us to do that together."
Those are words that Virginia Tech fans have been waiting to hear for a long, long time. There hasn't been a feeling around the program like there is now since the Frank Beamer days. There is a long way to go and a lot of work for Franklin and his staff to do, but you get the feeling it won't be too long before Virginia Tech is that "Sexy school" again.