Is This Class A Sign of Things to Come For Virginia Tech Under James Franklin?

Franklin's class currently has 23 recruits on board, with all but one signed.

Nov 29, 2025; Charlottesville, Va.; Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris (4) scrambles from Virginia Tech linebacker Kaleb Spencer (3). | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The short to that question in this headline: yes and no.

Virginia Tech had a unique leg up on its competition, because of the nature of the moment it walked into. When James Franklin arrived in Blacksburg, he had two full recruiting weekends at his disposal before Early Signing Day to use on his class. The combination of a relatively proven stable foundation under Franklin and an incoming staff with an immediate national profile created momentum that had been largely absent from the program in recent years. Now, Virginia Tech's recruiting class ranks No. 22 in the nation, with 23 commits and all but one officially signed.

17 days in and already making history 📖#ThisIsHome26 | #NSD26 pic.twitter.com/1otO5KMi1v

— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) December 4, 2025

Recruiting classes are often judged as isolated events, snapshots of potential captured on a signing day graphic. But programs do not rise or fall on one cycle alone. What made this group different was the way it reflected Franklin’s broader philosophy — aggressive, relational, familial and persistent. He emphasized fit: players who could handle the physicality of ACC play, the expectations of a demanding coaching staff, standup human beings who fit the behavioral mold of the program and the long-term vision of elevating the Hokies back into the national conversation.

The class also underscored something Virginia Tech had long sought but struggled to reclaim: regional leverage. It's been years since the Hokies consistently won contested battles in Virginia, the Carolinas, or the Mid-Atlantic. Franklin’s presence immediately altered that equation. Virginia Tech was no longer simply in the room for top talent; it was at the center of the conversation, thanks to Franklin's introduction. If recruiting is about relationships, Franklin and his assistants built them at a pace that suggests they view every cycle as foundational.

What made the class even more encouraging for Virginia Tech was not just who signed, but how they did. Several late battles broke in the Hokies’ favor. And there's belief. Belief that Franklin could win, belief that the staff’s message aligned with their goals and belief that the program was on the front end of something meaningful. That type of sentiment rarely accompanies a new coach in anything other than a "new-car smell" unless the message resonates on a deeper level.

It is also worth noting that Franklin’s first full class arrived in an ACC landscape undergoing rapid change. Tech’s class positioned the Hokies to take advantage of a rapidly changing ACC environment. The staff did not solely recruit against traditional regional rivals; it recruited against programs with established national footprints, including Penn State's. And it landed enough meaningful wins to suggest those battles will only grow more frequent.

Was this class definitive proof that Virginia Tech is headed for a new era of sustained success under James Franklin? I think that answer will come over time, as these players develop, as they adjust to the college game, and as the staff continues to add layers each cycle. But what the class unquestionably provided was direction. Perhaps most importantly, the class restored something that had been fading: optimism with foundation, with players at every notable position and focused in the trenches. It shows what a Franklin-built roster could look like: fast, physical, competitive and intentionally constructed. It also signals that the Hokies are no longer content to play from behind on the recruiting trail.