Major college football program jumps 96 spots in updated recruiting rankings

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

Blacksburg’s recruiting thermometer spiked within days of James Franklin’s arrival.

The former Penn State coach was introduced by Virginia Tech on November 17 after a 12-season run with the Nittany Lions that saw him win a Big Ten title, appear in the 2024 College Football Playoff semifinal, and leave with a 128-60 overall record.

In just over two weeks since taking the Hokies job, Franklin has already translated relationships and urgency into rapid sign-and-flip activity that dramatically improved the program’s industry rankings.

Industry trackers pegged Virginia Tech outside the top 100 (No. 121) on November 25; by Tuesday, the program had climbed up 96 spots to No. 25 after a string of commitments and flips, several of them former Penn State pledges.

Over a short window, Franklin and his staff flipped multiple four-star prospects, adding playmakers on both lines and at skill positions. 

Some of the biggest moves include flipping six four-star recruits — LB Terry Wiggins, QB Troy Huhn, TE Pierce Petersohn, WR Davion Brown, OT Marlen Bright, and RB Messiah Mickens — all of whom decommitted from Penn State after Franklin’s firing.

That volume, not just a single headline recruit, is what pushed the Hokies up industry leaderboards. 

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

Franklin’s early, unceremonious exit at 3-3 hasn’t disrupted his recruiting relationships.

For Virginia Tech, after a 3-9 season and a mid-season coaching change, the immediate priority was reestablishing connections and winning back recruits.

Franklin’s staff accomplished that quickly, which gives athletic directors, donors, and fans visible proof the program can compete for top regional talent again. 

Virginia Tech's 2026 schedule features home games against VMI, Old Dominion, and James Madison, along with a road test at Maryland before an ACC slate that features Clemson, Miami, NC State, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Boston College, California, and Virginia.

If victories don’t come early, the recruiting spike risks fading before Franklin’s rebuild fully takes shape.

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