Pat McAfee and Nick Saban Agree that James Franklin Would Be A "Great Hire" For Virginia Tech

It has been rumored for quite a while, but rumor might be turning to reality soon for Virginia Tech. It has been reported that the Hokies top target to fill their vacant head coaching position is former Penn State head coach James Franklin and today on College Gameday, Thamel reported that there is mutual interest between Franklin and Virginia Teh:

"I can confirm mutual interest right now, and a potential resolution next week," Thamel said.

Great Hire

James Franklin Penn Stat — Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin stands on the field following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The sentiment around the country is that Franklin would be a home run hire for a program that has not had a lot of success since legendary head coach Frank Beamer retired in after the 2015 season. Franklin has won a lot of games both at Penn State and at Vanderbilt and would bring a lot of credibility to Blacksburg.

On the College Gameday set this morning, bot Pat McAfee and Nick Saban think this will be a great hire for Virginia Tech:

"This would be a great hire for Virginia Tech. They would be getting a class guy and a class guy who would be very successful

They're ALL IN at Virginia Tech..

James Franklin would be a GREAT hire#CollegeGameDay pic.twitter.com/Y4R6NJZprS
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 15, 2025

Our own James Duncan had this to say about Franklin potentially being the next head coach for Virginia Tech:

"Franklin, who was let go by Penn State after 11 seasons, is viewed by many as the top head coaching candidate on the market right now.

"If you focus on what he has done, what he has been able to accomplish, how many games he has won, rather than what we sometimes do in the media in terms of beating ranked teams, this would be a great hire for Virginia Tech," former Alabama coach Nick Saban said.

Franklin's record is 128-60 as a head coach. He has won one Big Ten Championship and one Big Ten East Division. He was fired after a disappointing 3-3 start to the season this year.

This would be a slam dunk hire for Virginia Tech. Franklin is a consistent winner and knows how to recruit. During his time at Penn State, Franklin had at least 10 wins in a season six times. In that same timeframe, the Hokies only had one 10 win season.

Franklin's Coaching Pedigree and Track Record

Here is a breakdown of his record at Penn State by year:

2014: 7-6
2015: 7-6
2016: 11-3 (Big Ten Champions)
2017: 11-2
2018: 9-4
2019: 11-2
2020: 4-5
2021: 7-6
2022: 11-2
2023: 10-3
2024: 13-3

Virginia Tech's Record During That Time:

2014: 7-6
2015: 7-6
2016: 10-4
2017: 9-4
2018: 6-7
2019: 8-5
2020: 5-6
2021: 6-7
2022: 3-8
2023: 7-6
2024: 6-7

Get the deal done:

For Virginia Tech, it would be a good idea to finish this deal as soon as possible. Franklin is a consistent winner, and the majority of players who have suited up for him have high praise for him.

The biggest and most consistent criticism of Franklin is that he loses in big games to the best teams in the country. Virginia Tech cannot even say it has been able to regularly compete in those games in a long time. The immediate goal should be to put out a quality football team that can compete with the best the ACC has to offer. Franklin can more than accomplish that.

If Virginia Tech can lock him in, it will stop the carousel of head coaches that come to Blacksburg and underperform before eventually being fired."

Great Hire

Franklin's Coaching Pedigree and Track Record

Virginia Tech's Record During That Time:

Get the deal done:

More Virginia Tech Football News: