Virginia Tech’s coaching search landed a huge name in James Franklin, but it nearly went in a very different direction.
Franklin said on Adam Breneman’s “Next Man Up” podcast that after Penn State fired him, he was ready to step away from coaching altogether. He had the security to do it, too.
“I got a guaranteed contract, I don’t have to work,” Franklin said. “But my wife and my agent were like, ‘Look, you need to go work because not only are you gonna drive yourself crazy,’ but, most importantly, you’re gonna drive them crazy. And then they both convinced me to go on College Gameday at Georgia.”
That hesitation matters because Virginia Tech only became a realistic landing spot after a major shift in the program’s financial backing. The Hokies’ new budget put them in the same conversation as Clemson and Miami at the top of the ACC, and that changed the math for a coach who, in earlier years, never would have considered Blacksburg.
There was another layer to the story, too: Brent Pry. Franklin’s best friend had been fired by Virginia Tech in September, but he still encouraged Franklin to take the job. Pry loves Blacksburg, his family planned to stay in the area, and Franklin eventually brought him back as defensive coordinator.
Franklin told Breneman that if he was going to jump back in, he needed to do it with the right mindset.
“I think the biggest thing, Adam, is just you wanna take this job with a clear mind and a clear heart and not be the bitter ball coach. And I wanted to make sure if I was gonna take one of these jobs, that I could truly give myself to the program and to the players.”
He also said he understands the appeal of TV and media work, but he’s not there yet.
For Virginia Tech, the result is a coach who almost walked away from the profession entirely but instead chose to dive back in. And for the Hokies, that means a fast turnaround now rests with a man who still has plenty to prove after being fired just months after nearly taking Penn State to the national championship.
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