Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick came up with the phrase, "No days off'' at a Patriots Super Bowl parade. Clearly, James Franklin is taking on that motto on Thanksgiving.
Franklin is going on a recruiting heater and doing it on Thanksgiving Day. Earlier on Thursday, he picked up a commitment from three-star offensive lineman Roseby Lubintus, who committed to him at Penn State before flipping to Syracuse. He was planning on going back to Penn State, but Franklin was fired, and he reopened his recruiting. He remains committed to Franklin.
Now, a second Penn State offensive lineman is also remaining committed to the former Nittany Lions head coach.
James Franklin flips Penn State 4-star OL to Virginia Tech
About an hour after Lubintus committed to Virginia Tech, Franklin grabbed his second commitment of the day when four-star Marlen Bright flipped from Penn State to Virginia Tech. The 6-foot-7, 290-pounder is also from New Jersey, the same home state as Lubintus.
As far as Bright goes, he received his first offer in June of 2023 from Franklin, and that stuck in his mind throughout the process of his recruitment, even when other schools came calling.
Before this week began, Virginia Tech's Class of 2026 was in dire need of some commitments with early signing day next week, and Franklin is quickly delivering. Bright is the third commitment Frankin has had in the past three days. It began on Tuesday night with four-star running back Messiah Mickens, then Lubintus and Bright committed on Thursday.
There is expected to be more in the not-too-distant future as Franklin is hosting another recruiting weekend this holiday weekend, while the 2025 Hokies are in Charlottesville playing Virginia in the Commonwealth Clash. Things could get really interesting over the next six days before players sign next Wednesday.