Ten days after being named the next head football coach at Virginia Tech, it was a very eventful Thanksgiving for James Franklin. The former Penn State coach got not one, not two, but three commitments from players in the Class of 2026 who previously committed to him at State College.
Early in the day, it was two offensive linemen, Marlen Bright and Roseby Lubintus, who committed. Then, Thursday night, four-star tight end Pierce Petersohn, from Minnesota, committed to Franklin and will be coming to Blacksburg.
It was a tremendous start for Franklin in recruiting just 10 days on the job, and he has another busy weekend at Virginia Tech with some official visits for a slew of players. The 2025 Hokies will be at Virginia to close out a disappointing season before the James Franklin era at Virginia Tech begins.
After he committed to Franklin for a second time, Petersohn explained to Rivals why he committed to play at Virginia Tech. It's a comment that should fire up Hokies fans for the future.
Virginia Tech TE commit explains why he committed to James Franklin again
The tight end position is one that Franklin uses a lot in his offense, and he has sent some good ones to the NFL. It's a position that will have a lot of balls thrown to it, but Petersohn is excited to join Franklin at Virginia Tech for one of many reasons.
“If I could be a part of a rebuild with him that would be pretty special,'' Petersohn said.
Yes, there is no doubt that Franklin is going to need to rebuild the Virginia Tech program, and it is a rebuild that could be done quickly and special when it's done. Franklin is bringing in some recruits who could step in and play next season with some big snaps, and then adding through the Transfer Portal is a quick and easy fix to turn things around.
This is not a blow-it-up rebuild that Franklin faces, and given the current state of the ACC, it won't take him long to have the Hokies in the mix for the ACC title. Petersohn is going to learn quickly how hungry Hokies fans are and how special a place it could be when Franklin turns things around.