It has been almost 50 days since Virginia Tech fired Brent Pry following a disappointing Week 3 loss at home to Old Dominion. Interim coach Philip Montgomery has the Hokies playing better football and is 3-2 since taking over, but the school has hired a search committee to find the next coach.
There are plenty of names that are available and will become available that the committee would love to bring to Blacksburg as the next head coach. The committee has signed NDAs, according to Andy Bitter of Tech Sideline, which is going to make it harder for rumors to get out, but that hasn't stopped some of the rumors from beginning already.
James Franklin to Virginia Tech rumors heating up has fans thinking big
Over the last couple of days, rumors have been swirling over former Penn State coach James Franklin and the Virginia Tech opening. According to Pete Nakos of On3, Franklin has emerged as a realistic option for the Hokies. It has fans thinking big with a hire the school needs to get correct.
James Franklin would be a very good hire for VT. Y’all know he’s not my top choice, but he’d be a good hire. Throwing bad losses at me to explain why Franklin is the right choice is a poor arguing, and many have done it. You should be saying why he’s the best man for the job. https://t.co/eck1JAjNKG
— Pete B. (@petebvt) October 29, 2025
Good Morning, #Hokies!
— BRM (@BillyRayTweets) October 28, 2025
Hiring James Franklin would be the biggest "big boy move" in the history of Virginia Tech Athletics.
Have a great day! #Franklin2VT pic.twitter.com/P4cOaPG4EX
Yall are not ready for how insufferable im going to be and for the lies im going to tell over the next 10 months if VT actually hires James Franklin 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/YoIemSeV5u
— 🦃 Mostly Virginia Tech 🦃 (@YagerHokie) October 28, 2025
Has Virginia Tech dropped all of the money on James Franklin yet? pic.twitter.com/xap9DNx7l0
— THE KEY PLAY (@thekeyplay) October 27, 2025
1) Pry was a terrible coach 2) Fuente was an OK coach who was under-resourced. 3) James Franklin had every resource advantage imaginable at Penn State and he still rarely, if ever, beat teams he wasn’t supposed to beat - He also doesn’t have a great history with QBs. He’s 4 imo.
— Pete B. (@petebvt) October 29, 2025
Franklin is going to be the top candidate for all open positions that are currently open and others that will potentially open up. The rumors about Virginia Tech make sense given his ability to recruit in the state and the DMV, which he did very well at Penn State. Another factor for Franklin is that the school is pumping in resources to the program and the athletic department. What also doesn't hurt is Virginia Tech being in the ACC, which is a better path to winning for him than the Big Ten or SEC. Even some national college football analysts are on board if this hiring were to come true.
James Franklin would be a fantastic hire for Virginia Tech, the kind of grab that would make the Hokies immediately relevant again near the top of the ACC.
— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) October 29, 2025
Virginia Tech is a sleeping giant begging to be woken up, and that is something that Franklin would not take too much time in doing between recruiting and the Transfer Portal. This would be a hiring that would create buzz around the program that hasn't been here since the Frank Beamer days before Justin Fuente and Pry failed.
RE: James Franklin. All I know is that dude can recruit and recruits buy what he’s selling. I’ve heard it for years from all the recruits VT has lost to Penn State
— Treadmill Horse (@treadmillhorse) October 28, 2025
Speaking of the last name Beamer, Frank's son, Shane, is going to be another name linked to the position, especially with the way South Carolina's season is spiraling out of control. Franklin would be the top choice of the committee, school, and fanbase, but right now, it's just rumors. Franklin does not need to rush to any decision, as it may take another couple of months before the carousel is played out this cycle.