$41.7 million head coach delivers college football’s No. 1 rebuild of recruiting cycle

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

The Virginia Tech Hokies finished the 2025 season 3–9 overall and 2–6 in the ACC under interim head coach Philip Montgomery, who took over after the program fired Brent Pry on September 14 following an 0–3 start.

Pry’s four-year tenure in Blacksburg ended with a 16–24 overall record, though it included back-to-back bowl appearances in 2023 (a 41–20 Military Bowl win over Tulane) and 2024 (a 24–10 Duke’s Mayo Bowl loss to Minnesota).

On November 18, Virginia Tech identified its coach of the future, hiring James Franklin to a five-year contract worth approximately $41.7 million. 

The deal is heavily backloaded, with base salary increasing over the life of the contract, and includes commitments to expand assistant coaching salaries and recruiting resources.

Franklin’s hiring followed his dismissal at Penn State on October 12 after 12 seasons; ESPN reported he was contractually owed roughly $49 million at the time of his firing before a settlement reduced the pending buyout to approximately $9 million.

After arriving in Blacksburg, Franklin’s staff flipped a significant number of Penn State pledges and closed multiple in-state recruiting battles, with 11 former Penn State commits already flipping to Virginia Tech.

Additionally, the Hokies’ 2026 recruiting class now includes several notable names, including RB Messiah Mickens, ATH Pierce Petersohn, OT Marlen Bright, OT Roseby Lubintus, LB Mathieu Lamah, QB Troy Huhn, four-star OT Thomas Wilder, WR Davion Brown, and others.

Franklin also secured key in-state victories, persuading Wilder, a top Virginia prospect, to recommit after previously decommitting earlier in the cycle, while also flipping prospects who had been pledged elsewhere, such as three-star defensive lineman T-Ron Richardson, who had been committed to Oklahoma since August before decommitting in December and signing with Virginia Tech shortly thereafter.

As a result of Franklin’s late-cycle surge, 247Sports now ranks Virginia Tech No. 24 nationally in the 2026 class.

That rapid turnaround led ESPN’s Craig Haubert to rank Franklin No. 1 among new head coaches who best rebuilt their 2026 recruiting classes.

Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Incoming head coach James Franklin speaks to fans on the sideline before the game at Lane Stadium. | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

For Virginia Tech, Franklin’s arrival helped close both a talent and perception gap after a 3–9 season left the program with little momentum. 

His late-cycle additions provide immediate roster upgrades while also reshaping the program’s narrative heading into the transfer portal window, spring practice, and the 2026 season.

For Penn State, the wave of decommitments serves as a cautionary example of how midseason coaching instability can rapidly erode a recruiting class.

In contrast, Penn State currently ranks 85th nationally in the 2026 recruiting class with 14 total commits, compared to Virginia Tech’s 23 commitments following Franklin’s arrival.

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