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Historic college football program dealt concerning news on James Franklin amid rumors

One college football team's pursuit of James Franklin as the program's next coach just got a bit more complicated. Find out the latest college football coaching carousel rumors.
Jonathan Adams|
Aug 30, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin exits the team bus prior to the game against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images
Aug 30, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin exits the team bus prior to the game against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

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Virginia Tech HokiesAuburn TigersPenn State Nittany Lions

Former Penn State coach James Franklin is the favorite to land the job at one historic college football program. The race to land Franklin just heated up after Auburn fired Hugh Freeze.

Franklin continues to be linked to the Virginia Tech job with ESPN's Pete Thamel labeling the Hokies buzz as real during the coaching carousel discussion on "College GameDay." Yet, Auburn may have something to say about the Hokies' prized candidate.

The latest odds on Kalshi's predictive market gives Franklin a 64% chance to be named the next Virginia Tech coach. Franklin is still a heavy favorite for Virginia Tech, but the odds dropped 14% amid the Auburn vacancy.

Here's a look at the latest news on how Auburn's coaching search could impact Virginia Tech.

James Franklin may be 'more intrigued' by Auburn over Virginia Tech: Insider

The Athletic's Bruce Feldman labeled Franklin as a potential "wild card" to watch at Auburn. Franklin may be "more intrigued" by the Auburn gig over Virginia Tech, per Feldman.

"Former Penn State coach James Franklin is a top target for the Virginia Tech vacancy, but Franklin might be more intrigued by this job," Feldman wrote on Sunday. "Before his 12 years in Happy Valley, he worked wonders in three seasons in the SEC at Vanderbilt.

"This year was a nightmare at Penn State, and he was fired after losing consecutive games against Oregon, a dismal UCLA team and then Northwestern at home, but Franklin knows how to win. He led the Nittany Lions to five AP top-10 finishes."

If Virginia Tech is pressed to pivot from Franklin, James Madison's Bob Chesney, South Florida's Alex Golesh and former NFL coach Jon Gruden are among the additional favorites, per Kalshi.

The case for Auburn vs. Virginia Tech

Franklin may prefer to return to the SEC where the coach had success at Vanderbilt. Yet, it is worth noting that Franklin could have a clearer path to the College Football Playoff in the ACC.

With Clemson and Florida State both down, Franklin could opt for the Virginia Tech job over Auburn. it will be interesting to see if the pull of the SEC could prove too much for Franklin to pass up. it remains to be seen if Auburn will pursue Franklin, while Virginia Tech appears to have made their intentions clear.

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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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