Virginia Tech made a splash by hiring James Franklin after the season, and the Hokies are paying big for the chance to reset their program. Franklin landed in Blacksburg on a five-year, $41.75 million deal after 12 seasons at Penn State, where he went 104-45 and reached the College Football Playoff in 2024 before losing to Notre Dame in the semifinals on a last-second play.
That résumé has been enough for plenty of optimism around the move. But not everyone is buying the idea that Franklin belongs in the elite-coach conversation. ESPN’s Paul Finebaum took aim at that notion on “The Paul Finebaum Show,” making it clear he doesn’t see Franklin as the kind of coach the hype suggests.
"Well, he's not," Finebaum said. "You've got to remember the media is not overly analytical when it comes to people they like.
Franklin got out. Nobody remembered he was fired by the end of the year.
He's doing 'GameDay,' sucking up to everybody... He's got an easier job.
It's a better fit for him. He's followed a bunch of losers at Virginia Tech, so it shouldn't be very difficult for him."
Finebaum’s comments come with Franklin’s Penn State exit still fresh. The Nittany Lions opened 2025 ranked No. 2, but a 3-3 start after the playoff run was enough to get Franklin fired. The issue that followed him for years in State College was the same one that defined the skepticism around his tenure: he won plenty, but not enough of the biggest games.
His Penn State record in bowls finished at 6-6. Against ranked teams, he was 16-29.
Against top-10 opponents, it was 4-21. Against top-five teams, he was 1-16.
That’s the kind of profile that leaves fans wanting more at a place with championship expectations.
Virginia Tech, though, is betting on a different part of Franklin’s track record. The Hokies have been searching for traction since Frank Beamer retired.
Justin Fuente gave them one double-digit win season, but also three losing years. Brent Pry followed with three losing seasons in four years, and the one winning campaign was a 7-6 finish.
Franklin’s appeal is that he has rebuilt programs before. At Vanderbilt, he inherited teams that had gone 2-10 in back-to-back seasons and turned them into two 9-4 teams in three years. At Penn State, he took over after 8-4 and 7-5 seasons, with the shadow of the Jerry Sandusky incident hanging over the program, and eventually delivered six double-digit win seasons.
That’s why the hire has been viewed so positively in some circles: Franklin has shown he can raise the floor. The real question now is whether he can do it faster in Blacksburg, in an ACC that has only gotten tougher.
If he can bring back toughness and consistency quickly, Virginia Tech will have made a smart swing. If the same frustrations from Penn State show up again, the Hokies could wind up in the same old place - good enough to tease, not good enough to finish.
In Other News...
CJ Heard Is Asking Vanderbilt Fans To Believe In Something Bigger
CJ Heard arrived at Vanderbilt from Florida Atlantic and immediately became part of the backbone of the defense, starting all 13 games in his first season in Nashville. He tied for the team lead in tackles and gave the Commodores the kind of steady presence every defense needs, the sort that lets a coaching staff know where the floor is even before the next season begins.
Now the expectation is bigger. Heard is set to be one of Vanderbilts key defensive leaders in 2026, with the Commodores counting on him to help drive a unit that wants to make more game-changing plays and take another step forward. His confidence in his own development and in the defense around him is part of what makes him such an important figure for a team trying to build something sturdier on that side of the ball. [Read more 🡒]