When Penn State fired James Franklin in October, you knew it wouldn't be long before he would find his way back into being a head coach. Six days after being relieved of his duties, he went on College GameDay and made it known that he was going to be back on the sideline at some point.
Nearly six weeks after being fired at Penn State, he was hired as head coach at Virginia Tech. It just so happened that the school was pumping money into its athletic programs, and football was set to be the winner. Money came at the right time when Franklin was available.
When Franklin was fired, you knew it was only a matter of time before players would hit the Transfer Portal, as they do when a coach is fired. Despite what Penn State fans were saying, you knew it was only a matter of time before some of those players followed Franklin to Blacksburg. That has been the case slowly, and it continued on Thursday night with yet another commitment.
Another Penn State transfer commits to Virginia Tech and James Franklin
On Thursday night, Penn State transfer wide receiver Tyseer Denmark, a three-star in the Class of 2024, committed to the Hokies and Franklin. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Pennsylvania native was highly sought after coming out of high school, including Alabama, Michigan, Georgia, and others.
He had two receptions for the Nittany Lions in 2025 that totaled 17 yards, but he joins a growing wide receiver room that has some big additions from the Transfer Portal. Ayden Greene is coming back, and he will be joined by transfers Marlion Jackson, Que'Sean Brown, and Jeffrey Exinor Jr.
As much as Penn State fans don't want to admit it, there were bound to be players following Franklin to Blacksburg. They just weren't expecting it to be more than it is now. There could still be more on the way, but the retention hasn't been what some thought it would be. Players are committed to coaches nowadays, and some fans don't seem to get that.