One month after being fired by Penn State, James Franklin could be closing in on a deal to become the next head coach at Virginia Tech.
Appearing on Saturday’s episode of College Gameday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Franklin and Virginia Tech share a “mutual interest” and are in the “early stages” of talks that would make him the next Hokies new head coach.
The Athletic shed more light on the Hokies’ pursuit of Franklin, reporting the school wants “to have a resolution in their search by Monday.”
CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer, John Talty and Matt Zenitz reported on Monday that “several” sources believe Franklin is “likely” to take the job.
Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who is currently an analyst on Gameday, supported the idea of Franklin getting the Virginia Tech job if it comes together.
The Hokies job became available on Sept. 14 when Brent Pry was fired after an 0-3 start, highlighted by a 19-point home loss to Old Dominion one day before he was dismissed.
Franklin was fired by Penn State on Oct. 12 amid a three-game losing streak, including at UCLA and at home to Northwestern, that saw the team go from being ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press Top 25 to unranked.
Penn State’s decision resulted in the school paying the second-biggest buyout in history, with Franklin owed more $49 million on his contract.
Franklin and Pry are two of 11 FBS head coaches who have been fired during the season. This comes after 61 different programs hired a new head coach in the two years prior to the 2025 season.
The interest from Virginia Tech in Franklin has been building for some time. Thamel previously reported on Nov. 1 there were “early signs of interest” between the two parties, with Hokies feeling a sense of “urgency” to potentially get a deal done given how many high-profile jobs are currently available and the others that could be added to the mix when the season ends.
Virginia Tech is 3-6 through nine games and on the verge of finishing under .500 for the sixth time in the past eight seasons.
Franklin went 104-45 in 12 seasons at Penn State. He owns a 128-60 overall record in 15 seasons as a head coach, including three years at Vanderbilt.
