The Virginia Tech Hokies landed their next head football coach with a blockbuster move on Tuesday, hiring former Penn State HC James Franklin as the newest program leader in Blacksburg.
Franklin was fired by the Nittany Lions after a 3-3 start to the 2025 college football season. The 53-year-old coach was in the midst of his 12th season with the program before his dismissal.
Franklin had five seasons of Big Ten coaching overlap with former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer from 2014-18.
Meyer addressed Virginia Tech’s recent hiring of Franklin during Tuesday’s episode of “The Triple Option” podcast.
“I think it’s a great one. I’m a James Franklin fan,” Meyer said. “I coached against him. You know, it’s all well-documented about the top of the food chain. He just couldn’t quite get there. But, you know, a lot of people didn’t. He’s still a quality coach that won a high percentage of his games at a tough spot. I think it’s a great hire.”
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Virginia Tech fired now-former head coach Brent Pry after the Hokies’ 0-3 start to the season. The program has since lost four of its last seven games under interim head coach Philip Montgomery.
Franklin now aims to turn the 3-7 program around as he embarks on the next chapter of his college football coaching career.
“I’m honored and humbled to join the Hokie family,” Franklin said in a statement on Tuesday. “My vision is simple: to restore unmatched excellence, to build something that lasts, and to serve this University, the Commonwealth of Virginia and our amazing fan base with honor, integrity, and passion. I look forward to getting to work with our players, our staff, and the entire Virginia Tech community.”
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Virginia Tech will close out its 2025 regular-season schedule with matchups against No. 13 Miami and No. 19 Virginia.