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James Franklin rejects historic college football program: Insider

As James Franklin becomes the next leader at Virginia Tech, there is one college football program who could not land the former Penn State coach.
Jonathan Adams|
Sep 27, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin walks into Beaver Stadium prior to a game against the Oregon Ducks. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images
Sep 27, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin walks into Beaver Stadium prior to a game against the Oregon Ducks. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images | James Lang-Imagn Images

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Arkansas RazorbacksVirginia Tech HokiesPenn State Nittany Lions

James Franklin is the new coach at Virginia Tech, but another historic college football program tried unsuccessfully to land the former Penn State leader. ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that Franklin has agreed to terms on a new deal with Virginia Tech.

Prior to the news, On3's Josh Pate noted that Franklin did not appear interested in one SEC program who attempted to pursue the veteran head coach. It is a major move for Virginia Tech given the number of appealing college football coaching jobs that are vacant.

It appears Franklin did not have an interest in Arkansas despite the Hogs' best efforts to pursue the former Penn State coach.

"The Arkansas coaching search has taken some twists and turns," Pate detailed on his Sunday podcast. "Look, they're trying to lead people to believe they didn't want James Franklin. Of course, they wanted James Franklin.

"Doesn't look like James Franklin wanted Arkansas. So that ship, it looks like it sailed, but it hasn't really totally sailed until James Franklin takes another job or Arkansas announces a hire. Looks like at least for this Sunday evening, that ship has sailed."

Top candidates to be Arkansas' next coach include USF's Alex Golesh, Tulane's Jon Sumrall and Memphis Ryan Silverfield

With Franklin out of the picture, where does Arkansas turn? The Razorbacks could look to poach one of the top coaches in the Group of Six. Arkansas is set to host in-person interviews in the coming days, per On3's Pete Nakos.

"The Razorbacks are set to hold more in-person interviews this week as they begin to cut down their list of candidates," Nakos wrote on Sunday. "Among the top names to know are Tulane’s Jon Sumrall , USF’s Alex Golesh, Memphis’ Ryan Silverfield  and North Texas’ Eric Morris are names to know. There’s also been interest in former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald  and Minnesota’s PJ Fleck."

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Jonathan Adams
JONATHAN ADAMS

Jonathan Adams is a veteran sports writer who has written for notable outlets and interviewed some of the top athletes for more than 10 years. Since 2015, his sports coverage has been read by tens of millions and has been prominently featured on Heavy, NFL.com, Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and more. Jonathan is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and a voter for the Maxwell Award and Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year. He has interviewed many of the biggest stars in sports — Bryce Harper, Jayden Daniels, Justin Jefferson, Bijan Robinson and Micah Parsons to name a few — and has traveled the country to cover the College Football Playoff, NFL draft, Masters, March Madness, Senior Bowl, McDonald’s All-American Game and beyond. Jonathan Adams studied at the University of Central Florida and The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. He holds master degrees in sport business management, business administration and theology & culture.

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