Report: James Franklin in Early Stages of Becoming Virginia Tech's Next Head Coach

The deal could be done as soon as next week.

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

Pete Thamel announced on College GameDay that Virginia Tech and James Franklin are in the early stages of talking to become the Hokies' next head coach.

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

James Franklin and Virginia Tech are engaged in the early stages of talks about him becoming the football program's next head coach, per @PeteThamel. pic.twitter.com/qbCkHnWSgC

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 15, 2025

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.