This is a day that will prove to be historic for the Virginia Tech football program. Last week, news dropped that the Hokies were in contact with James Franklin about him potentially taking over and injecting needed energy into the program.
While there was some concern that Franklin would be headed elsewhere, guess again. In a monster update from Pete Thamel on Tuesday afternoon, his sources are telling him that VT and Franklin are finalizing a deal for him to indeed be the new hire. There were were rumors flying around that Franklin was going to wait and see what would happen with Florida State, but that's not going to be the case:
Sources: Virginia Tech and James Franklin are finalizing an agreement for him to become the school’s next coach. Franklin has won 128 games over 15 seasons as the head coach at Vanderbilt and Penn State. He led Penn State to the CFP semi-finals last year. pic.twitter.com/Pr4TyLBB9N
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 17, 2025
Virginia Tech is reportedly hiring James Franklin to be its new head coach
While things didn't work out for Franklin in Happy Valley, there's no question that he's a fantastic head coach and he's also known for being a tremendous recruiter. Virginia Tech could now be in a position to flip some Nittany Lions commits leading up to the Early Signing Period as well.
On Sept. 14, Virginia Tech fired Brent Pry after an 0-3 start. Franklin started the year off 3-0, but then Penn State went on a three-game losing streak, leading to his firing with the Big Ten powerhouse. What will Franklin be able to get done now that he's headed to the ACC?
It's no secret that Virginia Tech has been a bit down in the dumps of late, but bringing in someone like Franklin immediately makes a splash. We mentioned recruiting already, but it can't be stressed enough that Franklin is going to make a difference in helping the Hokies land high school recruits and playmakers in the transfer portal.
There's still plenty of time until the Early Signing Period gets here in early December and then the portal will open up in January. Franklin is going to hit the ground running in turning the roster around and you better believe he'll be motivated to post some key wins on the recruiting trail. This is the hire Virginia Tech fans were hoping for - go ahead and celebrate this one.