Former Penn State coach James Franklin has emerged as a serious candidate at Virginia Tech, with the school and Franklin engaging in early discussions about the Hokies’ vacancy, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Franklin is expected to be off the market soon, but Virginia Tech continues to run a full national search. The Hokies fired Brent Pry on Sept. 14, one day after a 45-26 loss to Old Dominion dropped the team to 0-3.
Since then, VT has explored multiple avenues, but sources said there is clear mutual interest with Franklin, who has expressed a desire to return to coaching immediately.
Franklin, 53, appeared on ESPN’s College GameDay days after being fired and said he “can’t wait” to lead another program after being dismissed by Penn State.
“I’ve been doing this for 30 years,” Franklin said. “I don’t have hobbies. I don’t golf. I don’t fish. This has been such a big part of my identity… We love it.”
Despite being owed a $49 million buyout, which is the second-largest in college football history, Franklin said his competitive goals remain unchanged. “I thought we were going to win a national championship there,” he said. “That goal hasn’t changed. We’re just going to go win a national championship somewhere else now.”
Franklin was fired Oct. 12 after a three-game losing streak and a 4-21 career record at Penn State against AP top-10 opponents. However, he won 104 games and posted six double-digit-win seasons during his 12-year tenure.
