It has been a month since Virginia Tech fired football coach Brent Pry, and there is a committee in place to hire the next coach. It will likely be some time before the next coach is named in Blacksburg, as all likely candidates are hitting the midway point of their season with their current teams.
Of course, it will likely be a couple of months before it is official that a new coach is in place at Virginia Tech. It is anyone's guess as to who might be or will be, but if you like odds, some of them are turning in your favor.
Vegas odds have Virginia Tech in the running for James Franklin
When Penn State fired James Franklin on Sunday, it was a good news/bad news scenario for Virginia Tech. The good news? He is the most desirable name on the market, for now. The bad news? It's a more desirable opening than Virginia Tech.
Now, let's be honest, Penn State is likely not stealing Virginia Tech's future coach away from them. It's just another opening. According to Vegas odds, Virginia Tech's odds are third-best at +450 to be Franklin's next job. The two best odds in front of them are Arkansas at +300 and Vanderbilt at +400. That screams a Franklin for Clark Lea swap.
Anyway, whether you want Franklin or not, the odds are slightly in your favor. He has had a ton of success recruiting in Virginia, but it's going to take more than that to turn things around. There is no doubt about the success he had at Penn State, but there were some concerns about some of the results.
Regardless, if Franklin is interested, the committee would have to pounce and hire him. This isn't going to end anytime soon, as other jobs are going to open up and come into the running for him, or he just may decide to take a year off and work in TV. Anyway you cut it, there is a chance.