It is unusual for college football coaches to be on the move and hired before Thanksgiving. That is the case in an unusual year for James Franklin, who was fired at Penn State in October. After five weeks of being unemployed, he was hired at Virginia Tech to replace his former defensive coordinator in State College, Brent Pry.
Franklin has been busy working on the recruiting trail since being hired in Blacksburg a week ago. The early-signing period is just a few weeks away, and expect flips coming Franklin's way with some recruits and some from Penn State.
The Hokies are in on running back Messiah Mickens, and multiple predictions were logged for him to go to Virginia Tech a Rivals. The same outlet is also trending the Hokies to pick up another Penn State flip, this time with tight end Pierce Petersohn.
Virginia Tech and James Franklin pushing to flip four-star Penn State TE recruit Pierce Petersohn
Petersohn is a four-star out of Minnesota, and the 6-foot-4, 200-pound pass catcher has been committed to Penn State since June, but he was one of many players who visited Virginia Tech over the weekend when the Hokies hosted 13th-ranked Miami. According to Greg Smith of Rivals, Franklin is making a strong push to flip the Class of 2026 tight end.
Recent history has not been good at Virginia Tech in terms of landing a talented tight end, and Petersohn would be a major get for Franklin. Tight ends have been big parts of Penn State's offenses under the former Nittany Lions coach when he was there, and expect that to be the case in Blacksburg as well.
There were dozens of recruits on campus this past weekend, and despite Virginia Tech closing out the 2025 season in Charlottesville this upcoming weekend at Virginia, Franklin is still hosting another recruiting weekend. Having an opportunity to hit the ground running while other schools have yet to fill their openings is a big advantage, and Franklin is trying to make the most of it.