Is James Franklin Now the Best Head Coach in the ACC?
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Virginia Tech and its fans are welcoming former Penn State head coach James Franklin with open arms. Franklin will touch down in Blacksburg for the first time tomorrow morning for his introductory press conference. However, he's already gotten to work on building his 2026 roster.
He's wasted no time sending offers out as early as yesterday evening. Some names that have already been locked in for official visits are Roseby Lubintus, Khalil Taylor, and Benjamin Eziuka. They are the first batch of former Penn State commits who are now interested in Virginia Tech. The swift course of action before he's been publicly introduced is a testament to Franklin's value. While he rose the ranks of the Big Ten in recruiting quickly, the ACC won't be an easy task. Clemson has always recruited well. Miami and Georgia Tech have utilized the transfer portal over the last couple of years to acquire some of the best quarterbacks in the nation.
Everyone knows the kind of person and coach Franklin is. He knows how to work the modern landscape of college football. He's a culture setter and a program rebuilder. His history already puts him among the best coaches in the conference. Here's how the newly-minted Hokie ranks among the ACC's finest.
Swinney is the undisputed king of the ACC until another program arrives in the national picture. Swinney was entrusted with the keys to Death Valley with no coaching experience. He built Clemson into one of the top programs in the country.
The criticisms of the lack of transfer portal usage will never waver. With Swinney being as skilled a recruiter as he is, however, it's easy to look past that. Clemson hasn't had the success it hoped for in 2025. The 2025 season ties for the most losses under Swinney since his first season in 2009. If he wins out, including a bowl game, it'll be the most underwhelming nine-win season in the nation.
Swinney won't be going anywhere anytime soon. His coaching hot seat is nothing but speculation. He and Kirby Smart are the only two active coaches in the FBS with multiple national championships. Clemson is the only team to represent the ACC in the National Championship since the adoption of the current playoff format. Could a change of philosophy benefit Swinney? Yes, but it's hard to argue against a man within two championships.
It's hard for a coach not to have some flaws. Kirby Smart had collapsed during his first run at a national title against a backup quarterback. Ryan Day hasn't beaten Michigan once in his career. Not everyone can be Nick Saban or Urban Meyer. Smart and Day managed to overcome those criticisms with the trust of their programs.
Penn State lost patience with Franklin, and understandably so. There's still a wealth of success he brought to the school. His career record is among the best in the nation. He brought Penn State its first Big Ten Championship in eight years in 2016. His three-straight 10+ win seasons from 2022-24 hadn't been done in Happy Valley since the 1980s. He was an accomplished recruiter and personality who has garnered him one of the best reputations in the nation. The "big games' are worrisome. Virginia Tech hasn't sniffed the opportunities Franklin has earned in the past few seasons, however. This hiring opens up opportunities for the Hokies that they haven't seen in a long time. Franklin's vision won't come to fruition immediately. However, he's proven to be a swift program builder and shouldn't take too long to return to form.
Brohm has quietly built himself into a dominant coach within the ACC. The former Cardinal quarterback returned to his alma mater in 2023. He hasn't gotten the big-name recruits, but he's developed them into premier talents. Isaac Brown and Chris Bell developed from three-star recruits to some of the top offensive weapons in the country. Brohm has also become a master of the transfer portal. He's used it to bolster his team with names like Ja'Corey Brooks and Caullin Lacy in 2024 to establish the Cardinals as one of the best passing attacks in the ACC. Louisville's last transfer portal class wasn't as talented, but the 2024 transfers were a top-15 unit in the country.
When he was at Purdue, he led the Boilermakers to their first nine-win season since 2003. The first year he took over for the Cardinals was their most successful year since they joined the ACC. That kind of immediate impact is special. Few coaches in the country have the coaching ability that Brohm has. He's one of the few untouchable coaches in the ACC when it comes to job security. The only threat to his time at Louisville is someone else giving him an irresistible payday.
Brent Key is relatively new to the coaching game. In just a couple of years, however, he looks like a natural. Key coaches the best statistical offense in the nation as of now. They average almost 500 yards per game, led by Texas A&M transfer and Heisman candidate Haynes King. The Yellow Jackets have been building a strong reputation as a landing spot for future talent. Both Key's recruiting and transfer class in 2025 ranked in the top five among ACC schools. Both classes were the most talented in recent memory.
The Yellow Jackets are approaching their best season in a decade. Their defense has been very inconsistent and complicates their chances of making a push in the national title scene. An ACC Championship could still be a monumental accomplishment for Georgia Tech. It would also spell out a lengthy contract extension for Key.
Cristobal has had many opportunities to bring the Hurricanes back to the spotlight. 2025 seemed like the season they would represent the ACC with pride. They were not only on top of the ACC rankings for a while, but among the elite teams in the nation. A string of poor performances in conference play hurt their chances of making it to the College Football Playoffs, but they're still in the hunt.
Cristobal has been the best recruiter in the ACC for the last three years. All three of his previous classes have been among the nation's best, with his 2024 class being the highest ranked by 247Sports at sixth. He's been an ace in the transfer portal, bringing talents like Cam Ward and Carson Beck in to solve their longing quarterback troubles. Miami is set to produce multiple first-round NFL prospects a year after representing the first overall pick. Cristobal needs to put together results to reach Swinney or Franklin levels of recognition. When it comes to producing ad recruiting talent, however, he's got a case for the best in the conference.
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Brett Holmes has been covering the Hokies as a Sports Media & Analytics student at the school for the past two years. Alongside writing, he works behind the scenes as a production assistant for Virginia Tech's athletic production organization Hokie Vision. In his free time, he produces his own podcast, Holmes Field Advantage, on his YouTube. You can find him on X @_BrettHolmes
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