“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 semifinals last year,” via Peter Thamel on X.com.

After weeks of speculation about where he would land, we finally have our answer: he’s heading to Virginia Tech to take on the ACC. Personally, I think it’s a great hire for Virginia Tech. This is a program that’s been struggling for the last 15 years—especially the last five, which definitely haven’t been a bright spot.

Since James Franklin got hired at Penn State in 2011, Virginia Tech has won 103 games (including the three this year). They’ve only had two double-digit win seasons in that span:

• 2011, when they won 11 games under Frank Beamer.
• 2016, when they won 10 games under Justin Fuente.

I remember that 2011 team well. Their offense was led by David Wilson, who ran for over 1,700 yards and 9 touchdowns. Logan Thomas (yes, the NFL tight end) was their QB and solid—threw for 3,000 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 10 picks, plus added 400+ rushing yards and 11 scores. And that defense was fun, led by Kyle Fuller.

Then in 2016, they won 10 games under Fuente. Their QB Jerod Evans was a straight-up baller. He threw for over 3,500 yards with 29 touchdowns and 8 picks, and also ran for 800+ yards and 12 touchdowns. They had two 1,000-yard receivers in Isaiah Ford and Cam Phillips, and a strong defense led by Tremaine and Terrell Edmunds. After that, there were a couple 8–9 win seasons, but they’ve generally been competitive without truly contending nationally.

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Why I Think James Franklin Is a Good Hire

Yes, he has a terrible record in big games—4–21 vs. Top-10 opponents. I get that. But he also won 104 games over that same span (one more than VT), with:

• a 13-win season,
• four 11-win seasons,
• and a 10-win season.

He also went 2–1 in the College Football Playoff and had Penn State in national title conversations multiple times. So while he frustrates Penn State fans, he’s still been highly successful overall.

The transition to Virginia Tech might actually be smoother than people expect. Virginia and Pennsylvania are right next to each other, so the recruiting pipelines overlap. He’ll already be familiar with where to go and who to call. The big question will be NIL—if VT can’t match Penn State’s budget, things could get tricky.

This hire also signals something big from the school:
They’re serious about competing again.

Hiring him now means:

• he can jump straight into recruiting,
• he can talk to kids he was recruiting at Penn State,
• he can get established before the early transfer portal window opens—which is massive in today’s college football landscape.

And the ACC, as of now, is not the Big Ten. If Tech can get competitive again, and if programs like Miami, Clemson, FSU, and Virginia get back on track, the ACC could get stronger—but it still won’t reach Big Ten levels anytime soon.

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Final Thoughts

Virginia Tech swung for the fences, and I think it’s going to pay off—at least in terms of getting the program pointed in the right direction. Maybe they get back to being competitive again, maybe even sneak into future College Football Playoff talks. With the portal, rebuilding can be faster than ever.

Getting to 6–6 or 7–5 quickly isn’t crazy. And who knows—college football is unpredictable. No one thought Clemson would be terrible this year or that FSU would fall off a cliff after beating Alabama in Week 1.

Maybe, one day, they can reach the heights they had when my all-time favorite player ever (and no, he’s not a Jets player) ran the show: Michael Vick. But that’s a story for another day.

James Franklin—your clock starts now.

– Jett Garden