James Franklin was, perhaps unsurprisingly, fired by Penn State after a disastrous run earlier in the year. The preseason number two team in the nation had fallen on hard times, and Franklin’s leash was at the end. But not too long after that, Franklin found a new home with the Virginia Tech Hokies.
James Franklin lands at Virginia Tech following PSU firing
Next season, James Franklin will take over for his former defensive coordinator, Brent Pry. After a 16-24 record in four seasons, the Virginia Tech Hokies fired him just three games into this season. Now, they’ve got the former Penn State coach lined up for next season. Franklin took over after the Jerry Sandusky scandal and helped mold Penn State back into a perennial power before being fired this year.
Franklin was originally supposed to get a $49 million buyout after being fired by Penn State last month, but his new contract includes a $9 million settlement from the school, so that should mark the end of his dealings with the Nittany Lions.
“I’m honored and humbled to join the Hokie family,” Franklin said in a statement, according to ESPN. “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.”
The biggest criticism of Franklin while at Penn State was that he couldn’t win the big games. Against top-10 opponents, he was 4-21 with the Nittany Lions. He has just one win over a top-five opponent despite being ranked in the top five and top 10 plenty throughout his tenure. Against rivals Ohio State and Michigan, Franklin was an alarming 1-14. It was bad, and it led to a probably deserved firing.
But ultimately, Penn State was good under him. Those stats are one thing, but he was 1-4-45 with Penn State. All-time, he’s 125-57, which is a stellar record. Though not the biggest, Franklin could win games. And at Virginia Tech, he won’t have as many big games. The ACC is not exactly a dominant football conference.
In fact, it’s kind of in shambles right now. Clemson is awful, and it looks like Dabo Swinney’s effectiveness might’ve run its course. North Carolina will probably never amount to anything with Bill Belichick. Virginia is solid, but this feels like an outlier for them. Miami is good, but they’re not even a College Football Playoff contender at the moment. There will be some ranked teams from time to time, but no one really stands out as an ACC power.
Franklin will still be at a premier location, but he won’t have as much pressure or as much difficulty. He will, however, have less talent and more trouble recruiting than he did at Penn State. As big as VT is, they’re not Penn State in the college football world. Talent goes to big schools, so Franklin won’t have the pieces he did previously.
It’s not the expected landing spot for Franklin. Given his previous work and the schools he’s helmed, Florida, LSU, and other high-profile schools made sense and could’ve hired him. But this is the right landing spot. Franklin needs to be in a less pressurized environment, which the Hokies will provide him. He also needs to play fewer high-profile games, and while Virginia Tech can schedule however they want, they won’t have Penn State-level difficulty on their schedule. Time will tell how this works out, but it looks like a smart decision by both coach and program.
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