After Penn State fired James Franklin in October, he knew that he wanted to coach again. It was only a matter of time before he found a new home for the 2026 season. Little did many people know that his new home was going to be in Blacksburg.
In mid-November, when he was hired at Virginia Tech, he did what he always does: he hit the ground running in terms of everything. Before the ink was dry on his new contract, he was recruiting the Class of 2026 and trying to scramble to put a class together. It's not easy to do that late into a season.