The first domino has fallen in what is shaping up to be a wild college football coaching carousel as James Franklin has been named the next head coach at Virginia Tech. Franklin will take over in Blacksburg next year after being relieved of his duties at Penn State midway through this season. He has an overall record of 188-128, but has become more known for struggles to win big games with a record of 4-21 against top-10 opponents.
Franklin is a proven and consistent winner though, which is exactly what Virginia Tech has been searching for since Frank Beamer retired in 2015. With Franklin having been “out of the sport” for only a little over a month, and with Virginia Tech seemingly bought all-in on its football program, expectations should be high for the future.
Following the announcement of his hire, FanDuel Sportsbook released Virginia Tech’s team win total for the 2026–2027 season. The Hokies’ win total currently sits at 7.5, with slight juice to the under at -154 and the over at +116.
All listed betting odds are subject to change
Their non-conference schedule includes home games against VMI, Old Dominion, and James Madison, as well as a road matchup with Maryland. Their ACC slate looks challenging, with games against Virginia, Clemson, Miami, Georgia Tech, Pitt, and others. But with how crazy the ACC has been this season, it’s hard to know who the top teams will be next year, and Franklin could quickly elevate the Hokies to a top conference contender.
With the transfer portal and the massive roster turnover that often comes with a coaching change, no one has a clue what this team will look like next year. So throwing out any sort of exact prediction may seem pretty far fetched. However, given Franklin’s pedigree as a winning coach, 7.5 does feel like a reasonable number.
In his first seasons at both Vanderbilt and Penn State, Franklin posted a 6-6 regular-season record, and he was arguably walking into a tougher situation with both of those jobs than the one he’s taking on at Virginia Tech. Regardless, it seems the Hokies got their guy, and only time will tell what lies ahead for James Franklin and Virginia Tech football.