One of the biggest stories of the day in college football is the Virginia Tech Hokies and their closing in on a deal with former Penn State head coach James Franklin.
Sources: Virginia Tech and James Franklin are finalizing an agreement for him to become the school’s next coach. Franklin has won 128 games over 15 seasons as the head coach at Vanderbilt and Penn State. He led Penn State to the CFP semi-finals last year. pic.twitter.com/Pr4TyLBB9N
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 17, 2025
The Hokies and Franklin have been in talks for a decent amount of time, as Franklin has a history of recruiting players from the state of Virginia, and he is one of the top coaches available. College football has seen a crazy amount of firing this 2025 season, and the Hokies were one of those teams as they fired Brent Pry after VT dropped its first three games of the season. Virginia Tech looks to turn the page and start a new chapter, and if they can finalize this deal, it would be a program-changing hire for the Hokies.
Now, with the Hokies likely to add Franklin as their head coach, the ACC can expect Virginia Tech to make some noise next season and in the years to come.
James Franklin hired as Virginia Tech's next head coach
The ACC has been complete and utter chaos for the past couple of years, as the league is filled with upsets and hasn't had a dominant favorite with the expansion. With Franklin being hired as the Hokies' next head coach, the former Penn State head coach should flourish in this new role and make the Hokies an immediate ACC contender.
While the knock against Franklin is his inability to win the big games, he was able to rejuvenate that Penn State program. He brought the Nittany Lions from the bottom of the Big 10 all the way to the CFP semifinals and was the preseason No. 1 team in the nation. He has won 168 games as a head coach and 68.1 percent of his games. Penn State won two Fiesta Bowls, one Rose Bowl, and one Cotton Bowl in its 11 seasons, making its resume quite impressive.
However, what makes Franklin stand out from others is his ability to recruit. Penn State was ranked in 247Sports' top 15 every season but one during his tenure as their head coach, and was ranked as high as No. 6 twice. Franklin with the Hokies should be a perfect fit as he should bring this historic program back to life, and it is something he has already done.
The ACC should have an eyebrow raised with this hire, as the Hokies could be on the rise, as they just got one of the best coaches in college football.