James Franklin and Ricky Rahne are about to share a sideline again - just not the same one.
A year after Franklin spent a Saturday in Norfolk hanging around Old Dominion’s game day scene, the two coaches will meet as opponents when Virginia Tech hosts the Monarchs. Franklin, now the Hokies’ head coach, visited last November after being fired from Penn State. He tailgated with Rahne’s wife, tried his first hot dog at a tailgate and caught up with his former assistant before watching Old Dominion play Troy.
Now Franklin is the one trying to rebuild a program, and Rahne is the one trying to knock off Virginia Tech. The Old Dominion coach has already done that twice over the past four seasons.
Franklin said the connection runs deep between the two families and the two staffs.
"Obviously, there's a ton of history between me and their head coach, Ricky Rahne," Franklin said. "Our families are close - personally and professionally.
I've got a ton of respect for him and what he's been able to do at Old Dominion. Obviously, that's going to bring a team in here and a program and organization that's going to be confident, right?
They're going to come into Lane Stadium with confidence. They've won at home and they've won on the road, so as an organization, we're going to play a confident team and a confident organization.
He's earned that, so a ton of respect for him."
Franklin has spent the past ten months rebuilding the Hokies brand, while Rahne comes in with a team that has already shown it can win both at home and away.
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