How Quickly Will James Franklin Turn Around The Hokies? This Could Be The ACC's Biggest Spring Question

Spring football is right around the corner for Virginia Tech and it is the most anticipated spring practice in quite some time.

The James Franklin era is going to get started in earnest next week, and the splashiest hire of the offseason is going to get to work. This was the most talked about hire in the ACC and Franklin did a really solid job of being able to bring in talent from the transfer portal as well as raising the high school talent level as well.

Spring practice questions

How quickly can Franklin get Virginia Tech turned around and heading in the right direction? CBS Sports analyst Shehan Jeyarajah says that might be the biggest question not just for the Hokies, but for the entire ACC:

"The Hokies had one of the best offseasons in the sport as new coach James Franklin was able to flip a tremendous amount of his former Penn State roster. Twelve players transferred with him from State College, while several more high school recruits joined as well. Franklin may have struggled to win the Big Ten, but there are big expectations in Blacksburg right from the start. The foundation for his success will be set this spring."

I think it is a fair assessment. Heading into the 2026 season, Miami is viewed as the heavy favorite to win the ACC and coming off of their national championship appearance, that is completely fair. The big question is, who will be the biggest challenger to the Hurricanes?

It very well might be Franklin and the Hokies. Franklin becomes one of the top three coaches in the entire league, and they are going to be a much better-coached unit from that perspective.

The talent level has also risen in just the short amount of time that Franklin has been at Virginia Tech. Is it where he wants it to be? No and don't expect Virginia Tech to be competiting for national championships right away, with this new talent and a much better coaching staff, Virginia Tech should be in the mix to compete righ away.

How about the schedule? They have a soft start, but there are going to be several tests in 2026. Road trips to Miami, SMU, and Clemson could define this season, but home games against Georgia Tech are not going to be a cakewalk.

There is enough in place for Virginia Tech to challenge for double-digit wins and an ACC Championship appearance. The eyes of the country are going to be on Blacksburg this season to see how quickly Franklin can engineer a turnaround.