Grading Virginia Tech's All-In move to hire James Franklin

James Franklin has been hired by Virginia Tech as their next head coach, according to multiple reports. Franklin, the former Penn State coach, drew interest right away from Virginia Tech after he was let go. The talks heated up this weekend, and he is now the next head coach at Virginia Tech. Franklin, in many ways, feels like an ideal coach for Virginia Tech because of his experience as head coach at Vanderbilt and Penn State. Below is the breakdown of this hire and the grade Virginia Tech gets for hiring Franklin.

Franklin's fit at Virginia Tech

I like this fit a lot for Franklin and Virginia Tech.  Franklin coached at Penn State as head coach and was an assistant at Maryland, so he understands the Virginia Area. This is especially important for recruiting.  He has been recruiting for this region for a long time (more on that later). He will also embrace the culture of Virginia Tech, like he did at Penn State. He will also not have huge expectations like he did at Penn State. If he wins between 8-9 games, he will be embraced, whereas at Penn State, that wasn’t good enough.

Recruiting Ability of Franklin

James Franklin is a good recruiter.  When he was at Penn State, he recruited the DMV region, Virginia, and New Jersey. An example is when Franklin signed Trace McSorley, a 3-star quarterback out of Auburn, Virginia. McSorley went on to be a 3-year starter at Penn State and had a record of 31-9 while he was there as the starting quarterback. Also, Franklin already has the connections with High School coaches, so he should be able to sell them on his program quickly. Finally, 17 Penn State commitments in the 2026 class have already de-committed, and some of them could end up at Virginia Tech.

Downsides of Franklin Hire

Franklin could never get over the hump and win many big games while at Penn State. He had a record of 4-21 against AP top 10 teams while at Penn State. It is fair criticism that his teams struggled in big games. The good thing is that there is no Ohio State in the ACC, a dominant team he played every year and only beat once. The other downside is that his quarterback and wide receiver recruiting while at Penn State wasn’t great.  This is an area he will have to improve on.  Overall, I think both areas Franklin can improve on while at Virginia Tech.

Final Grade for Franklin hire: B+

I think this is an almost home run hire for Virginia Tech. He has the recruiting ability and the track record Virginia Tech desperately needs. My only concern would be whether he can sustain the same success at Virginia Tech that he did at Penn State with fewer resources. I think this is a minimal concern, and I think Franklin will be an excellent fit and do a good hire.