James Franklin has been slowly rounding out his first staff at Virginia Tech. He has kept some coaches from Brent Pry's staff, mainly wide receivers coach Fontel Mines and offensive line coach Matt Moore.
Franklin is also bringing back Pry to be his defensive coordinator, which is surprising, and Franklin has already poached some former Penn State coaches to Virginia Tech. He's also reportedly looking to bring home another former assistant coach from his State College days.
James Franklin reportedly targeting Texas A&M defensive line coach
According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, he reported on Sunday that Franklin is targeting a familiar name to be his defensive line coach, Sean Spencer. He currently holds that position at Texas A&M, and after they were bounced in the first round of the College Football Playoff by Miami on Saturday, 10-3, Franklin is looking to poach Spencer.
Texas A&M defensive line coach Sean Spencer is a target for the defensive line coach job at Virginia Tech, sources tell @CBSSports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 21, 2025
Spencer, who has been at A&M the last two years, worked with new VT head coach James Franklin and DC Brent Pry at Penn State from 2014-19. pic.twitter.com/mlTDgqYlmp
Spencer spent six years at Penn State with Franklin, and he has also had stops at Vanderbilt, UMass, Bowling Green, Holy Cross, Villanova, Wesleyan, Hofstra, Trinity College, and Shippensburg. During his time in college, he has produced several NFL Draft picks. He spent a couple of years in the NFL with the New York Giants.
Virginia Tech's defensive line has produced some good players in recent years, but as always, hiring Spencer would bring a ton of experience and help with recruiting. The Hokies have some promising young players who got some time in 2025, and they would take the next step in their development under Spencer.
Franklin and Pry getting a defensive line coach who previously worked with them would be a huge addition. Franklin would love to get him on board before the Transfer Portal opens in terms of potential retention, as well as diving into the portal for additions for 2026.