Updated 6:30 p.m. Nov. 17.
James Franklin is officially off the market.
Just over a month after Penn State parted ways with Franklin, which came on the heels of consecutive losses to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern, he has been hired as the next head coach at Virginia Tech, the school announced early Monday evening. Multiple reports earlier in the day indicated Virginia Tech and Franklin were finalizing a deal.
Franklin will be introduced as the Hokies’ new leader at a press conference on Wednesday in Blacksburg.
Details of the contract length and compensation weren’t included, though his buyout from Penn State has reportedly already been settled. Multiple reports on Monday said Franklin recently reached an agreement with the university in which he’ll receive just $9 million of what was once estimated in the $50 million range. Otherwise, his new package at Virginia Tech would have been subtracted from the amount Penn State owed him through 2031.
Starting in 2026, Franklin will begin his third head coaching stint, following three seasons at Vanderbilt and 11-plus with the Nittany Lions. His overall record is 128-60, though he posted a historically bad 4-21 record against top-10 opponents, the third-lowest winning percentage ever with a 25-game minimum.
Virginia Tech will finish out the season under interim head coach Phil Montgomery, who’s filling in for former Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry, who was fired after an 0-3 start to the year, including a loss to Old Dominion. Pry finished with a 16-24 overall record in three-plus seasons, his first head coaching opportunity.
There’s been speculation about Franklin reuniting with Pry, who served under him as defensive coordinator for 13 seasons with both the Commodores and Nittany Lions and consistently produced strong defenses, though it’s unclear whether that’s on the table.
Penn State has never matched up against the Hokies, as a home-and-home series for 2020 and 2025 was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Franklin will, however, face Old Dominion on Sept. 12, 2026, a team led by head coach Ricky Rahne, who served under Franklin in multiple roles from 2011-2019, including two seasons as an offensive coordinator. Virginia Tech will also play at Maryland, where Franklin served as offensive coordinator from 2008-2010, at Boston College, currently led by former Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien, at Clemson, where defensive coordinator Tom Allen left the Nittany Lions for, and at home against Pitt, which he posted a 3-1 record against with the Nittany Lions.
