{"id":700454,"date":"2026-04-02T21:20:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T21:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/700454\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T21:20:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T21:20:17","slug":"james-franklin-made-mistakes-at-penn-state-he-intends-to-correct-them-at-virginia-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/700454\/","title":{"rendered":"James Franklin made mistakes at Penn State; he intends to correct them at Virginia Tech"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/rivals\/coach\/james-franklin-131195\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">James Franklin<\/a><\/strong> felt the hunger the moment he set foot in Blacksburg. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/college\/virginia-tech-hokies\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Virginia Tech<\/a><\/strong> once mingled with college football\u2019s elite, but the Hokies have been starved for success for years.<\/p>\n<p>Franklin is hungry, too. He yearns to prove the last six games of his career don\u2019t define it. He also wants to make changes to ensure he never has another period like the one that cost him his job at <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/college\/penn-state-nittany-lions\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Penn State<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve got a huge chip on my shoulder,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Franklin\u2019s Nittany Lions had the ball with 33 seconds remaining in a tied College Football Playoff semifinal on Jan. 10, 2025. Following months of sky-high offseason expectations and half a season of dismal results, he was fired Oct. 12. Franklin had notched double-digit wins in six of eight non-pandemic seasons. He had come seconds away from the national title game. But the Penn State leaders decided they were willing to pay a $49 million buyout over five years to press the reset button.<\/p>\n<p>Penn State won\u2019t have to pay nearly that much for two reasons:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The market for Franklin\u2019s services was robust. Multiple schools wanted him, which meant he would earn enough over the next few years to offset most of the buyout.<\/li>\n<li>Franklin wanted to get back to work as soon as possible to start proving Penn State wrong. So he took a lump sum of $9 million so everyone could move on with their lives.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That figure is actually $2 million more than the entire NIL budget for the 2024 Penn State team that reached the CFP semifinals. In a season in which the teams that played for the title \u2014 and several that didn\u2019t \u2014 eclipsed $20 million in roster spend, a roster that included future first-rounders <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/rivals\/abdul-carter-146124\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Abdul Carter<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/rivals\/tyler-warren-118224\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tyler Warren<\/a><\/strong> was balling on a budget.<\/p>\n<p>The next year, the money came. The 2025 Penn State roster budget was more in line with the other teams at the top of the sport. Naturally, the expectations increased. But the roster probably still wouldn\u2019t match the programs that had been spending at the top since NIL started in 2021. And here\u2019s where Franklin identifies a mistake he made.<\/p>\n<p>The coach who tweeted 1-0 every Monday during every season suddenly allowed internal and external conversations about the end of the road, rather than focusing only on the next opponent. A program that had succeeded mightily as a process-oriented outfit started thinking hard about the results.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe made some philosophical tweaks and changes to be more aggressive and maybe more aware of these types of things,\u201d Franklin says. \u201cWe allowed the players to have conversations and allowed the staff to have conversations that we typically hadn\u2019t had in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So they talked about their ranking. They talked about the expectations. They thought about the playoff before a game was ever played. This may not sound like a big deal to someone who has never been around an elite college football program, but it was a serious philosophical shift. For as long as Nick Saban was at Alabama, he drilled into his players\u2019 heads that the only thing that mattered was their next task of the day. They weren\u2019t even supposed to consider the outcome of the next game, much less the entire season.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>How does a double-overtime loss to Oregon become a loss to UCLA and a loss to Northwestern? When you\u2019re worried about how losing to Oregon affects your national title hopes and not worried about going 1-0 against UCLA.<\/p>\n<p>Franklin does not intend to allow that to happen again. The philosophy that worked for him at Vanderbilt and worked for him in the first 11 seasons at Penn State will be the philosophy he carries into Virginia Tech. Yes, the fans want ACC titles. They want to compete for CFP berths. In Franklin\u2019s program, going 1-0 each week will be the only objective.<\/p>\n<p>Franklin also intends to be more involved in the offense. His involvement changed after longtime assistant <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/rivals\/coach\/ricky-rahne-133666\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ricky Rahne<\/a><\/strong> left following the 2019 season to become <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/college\/old-dominion-monarchs\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Old Dominion<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s head coach. First came <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/rivals\/coach\/kirk-ciarrocca-131161\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kirk Ciarrocca<\/a><\/strong> from <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/college\/minnesota-golden-gophers\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Minnesota<\/a><\/strong>. When that didn\u2019t work during the pandemic season, Franklin hired <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/rivals\/coach\/mike-yurcich-132220\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mike Yurcich<\/a><\/strong>, who had worked at <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/college\/ohio-state-buckeyes\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ohio State<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/college\/texas-longhorns\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Texas<\/a><\/strong> following a great run at <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/college\/oklahoma-state-cowboys\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Oklahoma State<\/a><\/strong>. After Franklin fired Yurich in 2023, he hired <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/rivals\/coach\/andy-kotelnicki-134305\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Andy Kotelnicki<\/a><\/strong> from <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/college\/kansas-jayhawks\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kansas<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou go out and you hire some big-name offensive coordinators, and you want to allow them to do their jobs,\u201d Franklin said. \u201cThere\u2019s a fine line with that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019d have to ask those coordinators whether they felt they had fully free reign, but it\u2019s clear Franklin feels more comfortable when he has a heavier hand in the offense. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/rivals\/coach\/ty-howle-132080\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ty Howle<\/a><\/strong> has been with Franklin since 2020. Howle started as an analyst and worked his way up to tight ends coach and co-offensive coordinator. Franklin made sure Howle understood that if Howle came to Blacksburg as the OC, Franklin would be deeply involved in the offense.<\/p>\n<p>Franklin can do this in part because of a unique situation. His defensive coordinator at Virginia Tech is the head coach the Hokies fired last year to make way for Franklin.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/rivals\/coach\/brent-pry-131145\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Brent Pry<\/a><\/strong> left Franklin\u2019s Penn State staff after the 2021 season to take over in Blacksburg. He went 16-24 and got fired after an 0-3 start. But Pry is one of the most humble, likable people in the sport, and he was willing to move offices to help a bunch of people he loved try to bring success to a place he loved. Because of all this, Franklin knows he can trust Pry to run the defense and Franklin is free to spend more time with the offense.<\/p>\n<p>The Pry-Franklin reunion is just part of the getting-the-band-back-together feeling in Blacksburg. Michael Hazel ran operations for Franklin at Vandy and Penn State before joining Pry at Virginia Tech. Franklin and his former right-hand man have reunited, and one can guide the other with intimate knowledge of the new place. Defensive line coach <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/rivals\/coach\/sean-spencer-135367\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sean Spencer<\/a><\/strong> worked with Pry and Franklin in Nashville and State College before embarking on an odyssey that included stops in the NFL, at <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/college\/florida-gators\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Florida<\/a><\/strong> and at <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/college\/texas-am-aggies\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Texas A&amp;M<\/a><\/strong>. The man nicknamed Coach Chaos is back with the co-workers who helped him wreak the most havoc.<\/p>\n<p>This is all happening now in Blacksburg because of something that happened while Franklin was considered quite safe at Penn State. In August 2025, Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock made a presentation to the school\u2019s Board of Visitors that may as well have been titled \u201cFund Me Or Fire Me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the presentation, Babcock explained in stark terms where Virginia Tech\u2019s athletic department \u2014 and specifically its football program \u2014 ranked in resources relative to the rest of the ACC. The numbers may have been shocking to some of the board members, but they weren\u2019t to the people who had coached in the league. Under Frank Beamer, the Hokies dominated the league in the early 2000s shortly after coming over from the Big East. But the resource gap had grown so huge that under Justin Fuente and Pry the Hokies weren\u2019t really playing the same sport as <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/college\/clemson-tigers\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Clemson<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/college\/florida-state-seminoles\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Florida State<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/college\/miami-hurricanes\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Miami<\/a><\/strong>. Franklin, who kept tabs on the Hokies because of his relationship with Pry, knew all this.<\/p>\n<p>Franklin also understood that the board had decided to say yes to Babcock\u2019s request \u2014 which required millions more in investment over a period of years \u2014 before the job opened. So he\u2019d be in a different position than Justin Fuente and Pry started from. \u201cIt\u2019s not like I had to come in and make all these asks,\u201d Franklin says. \u201cThey had already done all their benchmarking. They had already made a commitment to football that they hadn\u2019t made in a long time. It is easy to point the finger at the head coaches, but the last two head coaches, I don\u2019t think, had the support that we have right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now Franklin needs to make that investment pay dividends. And he should immediately make the Hokies more competitive. Thanks to Pry and the other holdovers, Franklin knew exactly which Hokies he should work to keep. So players like tailback <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/rivals\/marcellous-hawkins-247305\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Marcellus Hawkins<\/a><\/strong> and receiver <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/rivals\/ayden-greene-9016\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ayden Greene<\/a><\/strong> stayed. Others, like quarterback <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/rivals\/ethan-grunkemeyer-152359\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ethan Grunkemeyer<\/a><\/strong>, tight end <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/rivals\/luke-reynolds-174880\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Luke Reynolds<\/a><\/strong> and linebacker <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/rivals\/keon-wylie-73634\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Keon Wylie<\/a><\/strong>, followed from Penn State. Meanwhile, 11 high school players who had committed to play for Franklin at Penn State \u2014 most of whom would have never considered Virginia Tech before \u2014 flipped and signed with the Hokies.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Franklin promised real depth, and through half of spring practice, it certainly feels like the Hokies are deeper than they\u2019ve been in years. And he\u2019s trying to make them even deeper going forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Behind James Franklin\u2019s desk is a row of Virginia Tech helmets. Hanging on the walls on either side of his office? Penn State and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/college\/vanderbilt-commodores\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Vanderbilt<\/a><\/strong> jerseys.<\/p>\n<p>The players Franklin needs to truly revive Virginia Tech weren\u2019t alive when <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/rivals\/coach\/michael-vick-88494\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Michael Vick<\/a><\/strong> played for the Hokies. They don\u2019t know what Beamerball means. But they absolutely know <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/rivals\/saquon-barkley-104901\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Saquon Barkley<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.on3.com\/rivals\/micah-parsons-87202\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Micah Parsons<\/a><\/strong>. In fact, they revere them. So in addition to paying tribute to the favorite players he\u2019s coached, Franklin knows he can deliver a message through those jerseys on the wall.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want these players to have success,\u201d Franklin says. \u201cThey deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Franklin could sense it last year when he watched Virginia Tech host Miami at Lane Stadium in November. The game was out of hand \u2014 it was a three-win team against a team that played for the national title \u2014 but fans stayed and yelled their support to Hokies players.<\/p>\n<p>Franklin loved the appreciation those fans showed, and he could sense their hunger. And he knew he felt the same way but for a different reason.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"James Franklin felt the hunger the moment he set foot in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech once mingled with college&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":700455,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[1318,154417,1317,1315,1316,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-700454","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-james-franklin-91-neshaminy","10":"tag-ncaa","11":"tag-ncaa-football","12":"tag-ncaafootball","13":"tag-sports","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116337208620069954","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=700454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700454\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/700455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=700454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=700454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=700454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}