Virginia Tech announced Monday that James Franklin will be its next head football coach and will be formally introduced at a Wednesday news conference. Franklin said he is honored to join the Hokie community and aims to restore sustained excellence, build a lasting program, and lead with integrity and passion.
Sources told ESPN that part of Franklin’s contract with Virginia Tech includes a $9 million settlement from Penn State; he had originally been owed a $49 million buyout after his Oct. 12 firing. The Centre Daily Times first reported the settlement.
Franklin’s résumé includes a 128-60 record across 12 seasons at Penn State and three at Vanderbilt, a 2016 Big Ten title, and a 2024 College Football Playoff semifinal appearance. He won better than 68% of his Power Five games overall and guided Penn State to six seasons of 10 or more wins, including three straight from 2022-24. Still, his teams went 4-21 against AP top-10 opponents.
He succeeds Brent Pry, Virginia Tech’s former defensive coordinator, who was dismissed in September after an 0-3 start and finished 16-24 over four seasons with the Hokies. Athletic director Whit Babcock described Franklin as a transformative hire — a strong recruiter and proven leader who can return Virginia Tech to national relevance — and said the move marks a watershed moment for the program.
The hire follows a major commitment from Virginia Tech’s Board of Visitors: after Pry’s firing the board approved a plan to increase the athletics budget by $229 million over four years to help attract a coach capable of rebuilding the program. Many observers are calling Franklin the most accomplished coach Virginia Tech has hired since Hall of Famer Frank Beamer retired in 2015.
Franklin’s availability came unexpectedly this season. Penn State opened the 2025 campaign ranked No. 2 but lost three straight to start the year, including a double-overtime defeat to No. 6 Oregon while ranked No. 3, followed by losses to UCLA and Northwestern that preceded his dismissal.
Franklin took the Penn State job in 2014 amid lingering NCAA sanctions tied to the Jerry Sandusky era and helped stabilize and revive the program, reaching the Rose Bowl and capturing the 2016 Big Ten championship. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, has not recorded a double-digit win season since Justin Fuente’s first year in 2016; under Beamer the Hokies had double-digit wins every year from 2004-11.
As a recruiter, Franklin brings strong connections along the I-95 corridor and in the talent-rich Washington-Baltimore-DC area. His coaching background includes two assistant stints at Maryland, a year at James Madison, and head-coaching roles at Vanderbilt and Penn State.
Virginia Tech officials say Franklin’s combination of on-field success, regional recruiting ties, and program-building experience made him the right choice to lead the Hokies back toward national contention.
