Report: James Franklin in early talks to become Virginia Tech head coach

Former Penn State head coach James Franklin and Virginia Tech are “engaged in the early stages of talks” regarding him becoming the next Hookies head coach, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Thamel revealed the news on ESPN College GameDay ahead of Week 12.

“Resolution on his candidacy at Virginia Tech is expected in the upcoming days. Look, Tech is still running a full search. They’re engaged with other candidates, but I can confirm mutual interest right now in the potential resolution early next week, and we’ll see if James Franklin is coaching in the ACC next season.”

If the deal gets done, Franklin would be replacing Brent Pry. Pry spent three full seasons coaching the Hokies but was fired after an 0-3 start to the season. Virginia Tech is currently 3-3 under interim head coach Phillip Montgomery.

Franklin left State College earlier this season after compiling a 104-45 record since 2014 when he took the job. He is 128-60 overall as a head coach, which includes his three-year stint at Vanderbilt (24-15).

However, the 2025 season unraveled quickly for Franklin and his Nittany Lions. A 3-0 start against unremarkable non-conference opponents led to an 0-3 start against teams in the Big Ten. Less than one year after leading Penn State to a national semifinal, he was relieved of his duties.

Penn State isn’t required to play a Power Four opponent during its non-conference schedule, so they didn’t. In the end, this would hurt Franklin in the long run as their first real test came against a top-10 Oregon team at home.

The game ended in a 30-23 loss in double overtime. It wasn’t until consecutive losses to UCLA and Northwestern after that which spelled the end of Franklin’s tenure in State College. All three losses came by one score.

For now, Virginia Tech is set to take on Florida State on the road during Week 12. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET and will air live on the ACC Network. The Hokies will round out their regular season schedule against No. 15 Miami and No. 19 Virginia.

Any loss in these last three games would eliminate Virginia Tech from becoming bowl eligible. The Hokies have played in the postseason in each of the last two years after finishing 3-8 during Pry’s first season at the helm.