James Franklin is heading into Clemson week with a few extra wrinkles in mind.
The Virginia Tech coach said Oct. 19 that he is adjusting the Hokies’ offense for the Oct. 24 trip to Memorial Stadium, and the reason is simple: he knows Tigers defensive coordinator Tom Allen extremely well. Franklin coached Allen at Penn State in 2024, and the two are familiar enough with each other’s habits that both sides are expected to change things up.
“We see some things that we understand that he likes to do, understand his philosophy and how he goes about things,” Franklin said. “He also knows that we know those things, right?
So (we'll) probably have a few extra tweaks this week too. We know who Tom is, and the type of coach he is and the type of man he is, and I know he'll have them ready to play.
I would say we're probably similar.”
Virginia Tech enters the game 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the ACC. Clemson is 4-2 and 2-1. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN.
Franklin said Allen’s Clemson defense has brought “some changes” compared with the schemes he’s used before, though he didn’t spell out what those differences are. What he made clear is that this is not the same Allen he had on staff two years ago.
“We won a bunch of games together,” Franklin said. “I got a ton of respect for Tom, not just as a football coach, but if you guys know Tom, he's a really good man, as well as a very, very good football coach.”
Franklin also had praise for Clemson special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, a coach he first met in 1997 when Franklin was James Madison’s wide receivers coach and Bisaccia was in the third season of his first Tigers stint as running backs and special teams coach.
“I've known Rich for a long time,” Franklin said. “And (he) does a really good job.
“(Clemson is a) tremendous challenge. Bunch of athletes running all over the field, a lot of history, and we're looking forward to the opportunity.”
Franklin also addressed Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, a coach he has not yet faced. Clemson met the Penn State team Franklin coached in last season’s Pinstripe Bowl, but Franklin was fired Oct. 12.
Even so, Franklin said he has known Swinney “for a long time.” The two have been around the same Nike-sponsored coach gatherings for years, and their wives, Kathleen Swinney and Fumi Franklin, are close friends.
“Got a lot of respect for what he's done in his career. Got a lot of respect for what he's done for Clemson and the ACC,” Franklin said of Swinney. “This will be a challenge.”
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