James Franklin arrived at the Montgomery Executive Airport via private plane on Wednesday morning and made his way to Virginia Tech’s basketball arena, Cassell Coliseum.
Wearing a maroon tie and handkerchief with a small “VT” pin on his suit, Franklin walked out to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” and was cheered on by students and fans in attendance as he was officially introduced as the next head coach of the Hokies.
The former Penn State head coach began by thanking numerous people involved in university leadership and on the search committee which ultimately led to his arrival in Blacksburg, including President Tim Sands, Board of Visitors Rector John Rocovich, athletic director Whit Babcock and others.
“President Sands has been awesome throughout this entire process. His commitment to our program, his plan for the program, the investment in the program, in today’s college football, there needs to be alignment,” Franklin said. “There’s no other way to do it. That is from the rector to the president to the athletic director, to the head football coach and more, most importantly, the fans and alumni and President Sands has been phenomenal throughout this entire process.”
Franklin went on to reference alignment several more times throughout the event, which lasted over half an hour. It was a common talking point with the Nittany Lions, though he claimed to have finally found alignment under President Neeli Bendapudi and athletic director Pat Kraft.
He called the Hokies’ committee “relentless” in the hiring process and said they were ready for an answer the first day they contacted him. There were rumors of Franklin holding out for a potential opportunity at Florida State, but the Seminoles opted not to fire Mike Norvell.
Franklin also gave credit to former Penn State defensive coordinator and former Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry, who was fired earlier this season after an 0-3 start. Franklin got emotional, saying he’s known Pry for over 30 years and was coached by his father in college.
“I know he poured his heart and soul into this place,” Franklin said. “I know this place is better today because of Brent and the commitment that he made.”
Franklin later said he and Pry discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the program and added he “probably would not be sitting here today without Brent’s input and thoughts about this place.”
He also offered a brief thanks to Penn State, where he had been fired over a month ago midway through his twelfth season, his first public comments referencing his previous school.
“I want to thank Penn State,” Franklin said. “I had 12 years there. It’s very unusual in college football to get 12 years at a place. Most importantly, the relationships, the staff, the players — the players here at Virginia Tech are going to find out I’m a players’ coach. That’s what it’s all about for me. That’s what it always will be.”
Franklin touched on many of the same themes he referenced constantly in Happy Valley, referencing his player-first emphasis, priority on building relationships and the importance of local recruiting. He also spoke about facilities, financial commitment and infrastructure, and how it can lead to success.
Franklin said he called 40 recruits committed to the program, as well as many of the top uncommitted recruits in the state, to begin his pitch. Several former Penn State commits have already expressed interest in following Franklin or scheduled visits.
He promised to “represent Virginia Tech the right way, both on and off the field,” and said he called former Hokie coach Frank Beamer the night before for his blessing before taking the job.
“It really started with the alignment, and after that it was, ‘Does this make sense to both parties and are we going to be able to achieve all our goals and dreams here?’ and I think this is a place we can do that,” Franklin said.
