BLACKSBURG, VA (WTKR)- Nearly two months after relieving Brent Pry of his duties, Virginia Tech has found its next head football coach and it's widely seen as a home run hire for the Hokies.
The program announced Monday evening that James Franklin will take the reins of the program. He'll be introduced during a news conference at Cassell Coliseum on Wednesday morning at 10 a.m.
"I’m honored and humbled to join the Hokie family,” Franklin said in a university release. “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.”
Franklin is 128-60 as a head coach at Vanderbilt and Penn State. He led the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff semifinals last season and had them out to a 3-0 start in 2025, ranked as high as No. 3 in the country. But a three game losing streak would follow, including a double overtime home loss to Oregon, a defeat to previously winless UCLA and a loss to Northwestern, at which point PSU fired the head coach. Under Franklin's leadership, Penn State finished in the top 12 of the CFP rankings seven times between 2016-2024, one of just four programs to accomplish that feat.
The new Hokies' head coach was in Norfolk on Thursday, attending Old Dominion's home game against Troy. ODU head coach Ricky Rahne was a longtime Franklin assistant before taking over the Monarchs in December of 2019. Franklin politely declined media requests Thursday night, noting he was just there to watch his friend's game.
Virginia Tech dismissed Pry after an 0-3 start this season, with the team's 45-26 loss to Old Dominion at Lane Stadium the final straw. Pry was also a longtime assistant under Franklin prior to taking his first head coaching job with the Hokies ahead of the 2022 campaign. He was 16-24 at the head of the program, 10-13 against ACC foes.
Franklin was widely criticized for his poor record in games against the country's top teams. During his tenure at Penn State, he was 4-21 against opponents ranked in the AP Top 10, but was also 5-3 in New Years Six/College Football Playoff games and won a Big Ten championship.
Franklin becomes the third head coach to lead to Virginia Tech program since Frank Beamer retired after the 2015 season. Justin Fuente followed Beamer from 2016-2021 before he and the university mutually agreed to part ways with two games remaining in the 2021 campaign.
