Former Penn State football coach James Franklin named Virginia Tech’s new coach
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- James Franklin is finalizing a deal to become Virginia Tech’s head coach in 2025.
- Penn State settled Franklin’s buyout near $9 million, reducing potential $48M liability.
- Franklin’s staff shifts may trigger early staff departures and future player transfers.
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Penn State fires James Franklin
The James Franklin era is over at Penn State.
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Penn State’s former head coach will be back on the sidelines next fall — just not in Happy Valley.
James Franklin, who was fired Oct. 12 by Penn State, was announced as the next head coach at Virginia Tech Monday night. ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported the news, which was confirmed by a source to the CDT.
His agreement with the Hokies will greatly help the Nittany Lions. Penn State negotiated a settlement for his buyout in recent weeks, giving Franklin roughly $9 million, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. That will replace the $48 million he could have been owed had he remained unemployed beyond 2025.
The former Penn State head coach said he was “honored and humbled” to join Virginia Tech.
“My vision is simple: to restore unmatched excellence, to build something that lasts, and to serve this University, the Commonwealth of Virginia and our amazing fan base with honor, integrity, and passion,” Franklin said in a statement in Virginia Tech’s press release. “I look forward to getting to work with our players, our staff, and the entire Virginia Tech community.”
Franklin joins the Hokies after being fired by Penn State after 11-plus seasons with the Nittany Lions. He went 104-45 in his time with the program, with a 3-3 record in 2025 and a three-game losing streak that led to his firing. Franklin led Penn State to the College Football Playoff in 2024, his lone appearance in the CFP. He took the team to the semifinals, where it lost to Notre Dame after a Drew Allar interception led to a game-winning field goal for the Fighting Irish.
That led to a season with significant roster retention for Penn State this year — with several star players foregoing the 2025 NFL Draft and returning to college — and national championship aspirations for the program. Despite a 3-0 start, the program struggled offensively and a loss to Oregon at the end of September seemingly took the wind out of the group’s sails. The Nittany Lions followed that loss with another to 25.5-point underdog UCLA and then one more in Franklin’s final game as the program’s head coach against 21.5-point underdog Northwestern.
He and Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft did not cross paths on the field following the loss, and within 24 hours Franklin’s firing was announced, leaving him the buyout that could have cost Penn State roughly $50 million had he stayed out of coaching or the media.
Franklin’s hire will help mitigate most (if not all of) the buyout, but could also impact the current Nittany Lions. He’s likely to take multiple staff members from Penn State with him, which could leave the group shorthanded if they leave immediately. That includes support staff and coaching staff who could potentially depart before Penn State’s season finale against Rutgers on Nov. 29 in Piscataway.
That could later include players after the season when the transfer portal opens in January and recruits who originally committed to the Nittany Lions when Franklin was the program’s head coach.
The new VT head coach will take over for his former defensive coordinator Brent Pry, who was fired by the Hokies this season. He coached with Franklin at Penn State and Vanderbilt before leaving for the Hokies, and could theoretically be hired back with the program as its defensive coordinator.
This story was originally published November 17, 2025 at 4:14 PM.
