Virginia Tech's Hire of James Franklin Named 2nd Best of The 2025 Coaching Carousel

Franklin seems like a home run hire and should fit in well in Blacksburg, but is he the best hire of the cycle?

Nov 19, 2025; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin during the press conference at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

A new era is underway in Blacksburg.

Former Penn State head coach James Franklin was hired last month to take over in Virginia Tech and he has already been hard at work. Franklin has hired the majority of his coaching staff and with the transfer portal opening soon, he will be filling out the roster and trying to position the program to contend in the ACC next season.

Best hire of the offseason?

Nov 19, 2025; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin speaks at the press conference at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

The hire of Franklin has gotten plenty of praise since it was made, but is it the best hire of the offseason? ESPN's Bill Connelly ranked it as the second-best hire, right behind LSU's hiring of Lane Kiffin:

"Last summer, I used stats to look at which coaches have done the best job of overachieving against their school's recent history. Granted, Franklin's average will go down once I've added this year's Penn State team to the mix, but heading into 2025 he was No. 8 among all long-term coaches of the past 20 years.

Vanderbilt had averaged 3.1 wins per season over a 35-year period, and he won 24 games in three seasons there. Penn State had enjoyed four top-10 finishes in 19 years and was still dealing with sanctions when he arrived in 2014, and he oversaw five top-10 finishes in a nine-year run. No matter how the run at PSU ended, for Tech to land someone with that type of résumé was an absolute coup."

Prior to Penn State, Vanderbilt University experienced a record setting transformation on the gridiron under James Franklin’s leadership from 2011 through 2013. In three seasons at the helm, Coach Franklin became the first Vanderbilt coach to guide the team to bowl games in each of his first three campaigns. In 2012, the Commodores posted a 9-4 mark, earned entries in both the AP Top 25 and Coaches Polls for the first time since 1948. The nine wins was most since 1915 and the five SEC victories, a feat not achieved by Vanderbilt since 1935. That same season featured the longest winning streak by a Vanderbilt team since 1948, the longest road winning streak since 1950, and the first home victory over Tennessee in 30 years. Coach Franklin followed with another 9-win season in 2013, including a decisive 41-24 win in the BBVA Compass Bowl, marking the program’s first back-to-back 9-win campaigns in school history.

“I’m honored and humbled to join the Hokie family,” said Franklin. “My vision is simple: to restore unmatched excellence, to build something that lasts, and to serve this University, the Commonwealth of Virginia and our amazing fan base with honor, integrity, and passion. I look forward to getting to work with our players, our staff, and the entire Virginia Tech community.”

Franklin coached 18 All-America selections, 32 national major award winners or finalists and 59 NFL Draft picks at Penn State. In his first 14 years as a head coach, Franklin mentored 116 players reaching the NFL ranks.

He reached 100 wins at Penn State in 2024, becoming one of seven active FBS head coaches with 100 or more wins at their current school (Kirk Ferentz, Iowa; Dabo Swinney, Clemson; Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State; Kyle Whittingham, Utah; Troy Calhoun, Air Force; Kirby Smart, Georgia).

From 2016 to 2024, Penn State was one of four teams to rank in the top 12 of the CFP final rankings at least seven times, joining Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State.