Can Virginia Tech Challenge Penn State in Recruiting With James Franklin? | MSU Recap

The other shoe has finally dropped on Penn State’s decision to fire former head coach James Franklin. The 12-year head coach has now found his new destination, and it’s within the regional footprint for the Nittany Lions. Today on the BWI Live Show, we’ll discuss Franklin’s hiring at Virginia Tech and what it means for Penn State. We’ll also discuss Terry Smith’s press conference and his team’s first win against Michigan State.

Join the BWI Live Show today at 10 a.m. on YouTube! We’ll be discussing your thoughts about all of those topics and more in the live chat throughout the show. If you haven’t yet, subscribe to the Blue White Illustrated YouTube Channel and enable notifications so you know when we go live with breaking news, post press conference videos, and more.

Franklin to Virginia Tech

The news broke Monday evening that after days of news swirling, Franklin was officially named the next head coach of the Virginia Tech Hokies, following his former defensive coordinator, Brent Pry, to Blacksburg.

The news has potentially wide-ranging implications for Penn State, including Franklin siphoning off former players from the roster, recruits, coaches, and more. We’ll discuss the fallout of the program-wide implications of having the team’s former head coach so close to Happy Valley.

Terry Smith Press Conference

Next, we’ll discuss Smith’s comments about his team’s mindset as they head towards the finale of the 2025 season. The team got its first win under Smith and the first win in conference play this season this past weekend against Michigan State. We’ll discuss the storylines from Monday’s conversation with Smith about the meaning of the win, his team’s refusal to quit, and Kaytron Allen’s pursuit of Penn State’s all-time leading rusher mark.

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Join the show or watch the full press conference to hear Smith’s emotional reply to what the win against Michigan State and the responses from friends and family meant to him after the win.

Penn State vs Michigan State recap

Finally, we’ll recap the team’s performance against Michigan State that led to a win. What did we learn about the program this past weekend? We’ll discuss how the offense performed, and what the team will need to do to win the next two games and reach bowl eligibility. Next, we’ll discuss the team’s defensive performance and what we can learn about the team’s progress on that side of the ball as the season has progressed.