On the day that he was officially introduced as the head football coach at Virginia Tech, James Franklin used his press conference to thank his former employers and the predecessor at his new job.
Franklin got emotional when talking about former Hokies head coach Brent Pry, who was fired on Sept. 14, and praised him for pouring his “his heart and soul into” the job during his four-year tenure.
Franklin also thanked Penn State for the “rare” opportunity to stay in the same job for 12 years and forge the relationships with his players that he made during that time.
As for how his new job came to be, Franklin cited Virginia Tech’s “very aggressive” pursuit and credited the school’s search committee for having “a really good plan” in place for this to come together.
This is arguably the most high-profile hiring for Virginia Tech since Frank Beamer retired following the 2015 season. Justin Fuente replaced him, lasting six seasons before mutually parting ways in November 2021.
Pry went 16-24 in four seasons with the Hokies. He was hired by the team after spending eight seasons on Franklin’s staff at Penn State from 2014 to 2021.
Virginia Tech rolled out the red carpet for Franklin’s arrival on Wednesday. He was greeted in Blacksburg by athletic director Whit Babcock, the marching band and cheerleading squad.
Virginia Tech announced Franklin’s hiring on Tuesday, six weeks after he was fired by Penn State.
Details of Franklin’s contract have not been made available, but ESPN’s Pete Thamel noted his deal did include a $9 million settlement with the Nittany Lions. His original buyout with Penn State was $49 million to be paid out through 2031.
Franklin will be tasked with turning around a program that has finished under .500 in five of the last six seasons, including 2025, and hasn’t won 10 games since 2016.
During his 15-year coaching career between Penn State and Vanderbilt, Franklin had winning records 12 times. He led the Nittany Lions to at least 10 wins six times, including in three straight seasons from 2022 to ’24.
Penn State played in the Big Ten Championship Game twice under Franklin, winning in 2016.
Virginia Tech hasn’t played in the ACC Championship Game since 2016. Its last conference title came in 2010.
