NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Ricky Rahne and James Franklin are more than former co-workers. They're close friends, as are their families.
That friendship will take a back seat to the business at hand this Saturday when Rahne and Franklin coach against each other for the first time. Old Dominion and Virginia Tech square off Saturday at noon.
"The series kind of takes a break after this," Rahne noted. "That'll give us both an opportunity to maybe bounce some stuff off each other and communicate a little bit more than we have over the last three or four months."
The two coaches worked side-by-side for 10 years, first as fellow assistants at Kansas State, after which Rahne served on Franklin's staff at Vanderbilt and Penn State before taking his first head coaching job at Old Dominion after the 2019 season. Rahne says his iPhone memories often remind him of the times their families have shared together in the past.
"Half of those little montages are my kids with the two Franklin girls," he noted. "My sons are going to go to the game and the reason they're going to go is because they want to see their friends, or to them it's almost like cousins."
"Our families are close," Franklin said during his weekly remarks. "I've got a ton of respect for him and what he's been able to do at Old Dominion."
This will be the first time the Monarchs and Hokies are meeting since ODU's 45-26 victory at Lane Stadium last season. It sent Virginia Tech to an 0-3 start and Brent Pry was fired as the head coach the following day. Franklin says that match-up, as well as the silver and blue's latest triumph over Norfolk State, will be playing on loop throughout the football facility during the week.
"I think the reality is that they already have our attention," Franklin pointed out. "2-2 over the last four years and the last time we played them was not just a loss, but a convincing loss, so I wouldn't think I'm going to have to do anything from a fuel perspective. Old Dominion has earned that."
"Being able to understand that if we in there and we execute, we can take the crowd out of it," Rahne said of what his team can take away from last year's win.
Virginia Tech is coming off a 73-3 win over VMI to open its season this past Saturday, a game in which they outgained the Keydets in total offense, 619-88. Many Hokie back-ups were able to see some snaps as the program ushered in the Franklin era with a convincing win.
Old Dominion topped Norfolk State, 31-10, pulling away in the third quarter and earning a season-opening win for the first time since 2022.
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