One thing has been made clear this week with James Franklin officially taking over as the new head coach for Virginia Tech football. That'd be that this guy means business. Even before he was revealed as the new coach for the Hokies, Franklin hit the ground running recruiting wise.
James Franklin reportedly raiding Penn State staff for first 2 Virginia Tech hires
He's still waiting for his first new commitment, but things could be changing fast there soon. Franklin just offered 330-pound New Jersey offensive tackle Roseby Lubintus on Monday, but that tender meant a ton to him. So much in fact, both Brian Dohn and Kolby Crawford of 247Sports have put in their predictions for the big-bodied lineman to commit to Franklin:
🔮I’ve joined @BrianDohn247 in placing a Crystal Ball pick for Virginia Tech to land 3⭐️ OT Roseby Lubintus.
— Kolby Crawford (@kolby_crawford) November 20, 2025
James Franklin made him one of his first calls after taking the job. Here’s more on why from our interview. Full convo below.👇 https://t.co/SqBzWCw2n5 pic.twitter.com/zr1IdDmTCQ
Virginia Tech has been predicted to land massive OT Roseby Lubintus
This sure would be exciting for Virginia Tech if Franklin is able to win this recruiting battle. Throughout his recruitment, the 6-5, 330-pounder has picked up 14 offers. He was previously committed to Penn State, but backed off that pledge during the summer.
Then, Lubintus flipped to Syracuse, but then he had a change of heart in October. Should he commit to Virginia Tech, it will be the third program that he has given his verbal to. The hope here, however, is that Lubintus will fully shut things down if he indeed does pick the Hokies.
The fact that Franklin has a previous relationship with him is huge. As we mentioned above, Franklin has been working overtime with recruiting and it's been a lot of fun for Virginia Tech fans to follow. There's going to be a loaded official visit weekend coming up too. Could some commits be on the way?
That very well could end up being the case. With the greatest of respect for Brent Pry, Franklin has come in and already injected so much excitement back into the program after only a few days on the job. The Virginia Tech faithful better get used to Franklin making a splash out on the recruiting trail. It's what he's always been able to get done.