James Franklin, Virginia Tech's New Head Coach, Speaks Before Board of Visitors in Alexandria

The former Penn State head whistle was announced as Virginia Tech's head coach yesterday afternoon.

Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Penn.; Penn State head coach James Franklin walks off the field after losing to Northwestern. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

New Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin made a surprise appearance today at the Board of Visitors meeting today in Alexandria, Virginia.

James Franklin at the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors meeting in Alexandria, Va. (screenshot via David Cunningham, X)

"Obviously honored to be here," Franklin said. "Me and my wife, Fumi, we just texted my brother-i-law, who lives about nine miles from here. Just blessed and honored to be a part of this. We've been doing this for 30 years, me and my family, and I know Virginia Tech well. I was at the University of Maryland for eight years before I left and went to the Green Bay Packers. I was a young offensive coordinator, went to Virginia Tech. There was a defensive coordinator, I think you guys may know him, named Bud Foster. That was a long night for the young offensive coordinator, to be honest with you."

Franklin's firing came just over two months after the firing of then-head coach Brent Pry on Sept. 14.

"Just honored to be here," Franklin said. "I want to thank the search committee. Those guys were relentless. Obviously, J. [Pearson] and Ryan [McCarthy] and the whole crew did a phenomenal job. Me and Fumi were in Georgia, we have a place at Lake Oconee. We were there kind of just getting our minds clear and our hearts clear, and Virginia Tech wanted to come and visit with us. And we didn't really know that that night they were ready for an answer, that very first night."

Franklin now comes to Blacksburg after 11-plus seasons with Penn State; over that time period, he accumulated a 104-45 (69.8%) mark and the Nittany Lions qualified for the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff last year.

"So, it was a process," Franklin said. "It really was. We poured our heart and soul into the last place [Penn State] for the last 12 years, learned a lot of lessons, got tremenous experience, and, obviously, we're going to take all those experiences and knowledge and bring it here to Virginia Tech. So, we're honored to be here. Rector [John Rocovich], really appreciate this opportunity. President [Timothy] Sands, really appreciate this opportunity. I'm more than happy to answer really any questions that you guys might have. I know you're busy, I know you have a schedule. But we're excited. We're going to fly into Blacksburg tomorrow morning. Excited to be able to see the campus and get around the student-athletes and get a chance to interact with everybody."

Jim Miller then asked Franklin whether he liked Metallica. Franklin responded by saying the team's tradition of entering to the "Enter Sandman" song is "special" but stated that he was more of a "R&B, rap, hip-hop" kind of guy."

Until the season concludes, Philip Montgomery will serve as the team's interim head coach. After that, Franklin will assume head coaching duties.