4 things every Penn State fan should know about James Franklin’s presser at Va. Tech
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Penn State fires James Franklin
The James Franklin era is over at Penn State.
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James Franklin, who once introduced himself to fans as the “Pennsylvania boy with the Penn State heart,” is taking his coaching talents to Blacksburg, Virginia — and he’ll leave behind more than a decade of memories in Happy Valley.
Some of those memories were on display Wednesday morning, when the former Penn State coach of 11-plus seasons was formally introduced as Virginia Tech’s newest head coach. The focus was not on the Nittany Lions, nor were they mentioned often, but Franklin couldn’t go nearly an hour without a few references to the blue-and-white.
He was fired from Penn State on Oct. 12 after three straight losses, and he was hired by the Hokies on Monday.
Here’s what Penn State fans should know about the new Virginia Tech coach’s introductory press conference Wednesday:
1. James Franklin thanked Penn State
Franklin opened his introductory remarks by thanking the Virginia Tech officials who made his hiring possible. About five minutes into those remarks, Franklin also briefly thanked his previous institution — by name.
“I want to thank Penn State,” he said after addressing his experience in the SEC, Big Ten and ACC. “I had 12 years there. It’s very unusual in college football to get 12 years at a place.”
Franklin quickly moved on, explaining how Hokies players will soon learn he’s a players coach.
It wasn’t a long or flowery form of gratitude, but it’s still notable for a few reasons. For one, when Franklin first arrived at Penn State, he made it a point not to mention Vanderbilt by name and instead often referred to it as his “previous institution.” (Franklin previously clarified he never meant that as a sign of disrespect; he even showed up to a Vanderbilt baseball SEC tournament game earlier this year to support a friend.) But he mentioned Penn State by name at several points Wednesday.
Given the fact he was also fired by Penn State, he couldn’t be blamed if a “thank you” wasn’t in the cards. But the quick thanks helped show he won’t be harboring too much resentment toward Penn State, at least not publicly.
2. He choked up when mentioning Brent Pry
Franklin grew emotional only once during the nearly hourlong press conference, but he had to steady himself when talking about longtime friend and former Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry.
Pry served as a defensive coach for Franklin from 2011-2021, at both Vanderbilt and Penn State, before becoming the Hokies’ head coach in 2022. Pry was fired on Sept. 14 after an 0-3 start to Virginia Tech’s season.
Franklin opened his thoughts on Pry by simply stating, “I’d like to acknowledge Brent Pry.” But there was a slight quiver in his lip. He glanced down and managed “Sorry” before pausing. He explained: “I always say I’m not going to get emotional, and then I get emotional.”
He tried again, his voice cracking. He then stopped, started and stopped again. “Gosh,” Franklin said to himself, as if the emotion surprised even him. The crowd applauded while he steadied himself for good.
“I got a ton of respect for Brent and his family,” Franklin said. “I know he poured his heart and soul into this place. I know this place is better today because of Brent and the commitment that he made.
“So I just want to show the respect to him. I know how much coaches pour their hearts and souls into this job, and I just want to make sure that I gave Brent the respect that him and his family deserve.”
Franklin said he spoke to Pry about the job, specifically the perks and challenges of being the Hokies’ coach. “And I probably would not be sitting here today without Brent’s input and thoughts about this place,” he added.
3. Franklin made a brief reference to RB Saquon Barkley
NFL all-pro Saquon Barkley, a Penn State alum, is maybe the most accomplished player that Franklin has ever coached. So when Franklin began talking about Virginia Tech’s all-time greats — such as Michael Vick, Bruce Smith and DeAngelo Hall — he didn’t miss an opportunity for a more personal anecdote.
Before Franklin explained how he’d like to build up the program through recruiting classes, and not the portal, he quipped that players like those all-time greats tend to make coaches’ play-calls look a lot smarter.
“We had a running back at Penn State — maybe you guys have heard of him — named Saquon Barkley,” Franklin said tongue in cheek. “And for some reason, for some reason, when we handed the ball off to him, the plays just worked better.
“So coaches get a lot of credit, but this is a players game.”
Franklin emphasized the importance of recruiting Saturday and finding players who want to play for Virginia Tech and not just NIL. He said he already spoke with 40 players Monday and wants to build the program the right way “with character and integrity.”
4. Airports remain important to Franklin
You might remember that Franklin made national headlines last fall after his comments on the State College Regional Airport. He criticized the airport’s size and length of the runway, explaining that it forced the team last year to take a 90-minute bus drive to Harrisburg before flying to Los Angeles.
Many fans saw that as another built-in Franklin excuse. But it was also well-known that Franklin wasn’t a fan of Penn State’s nearby airport for recruiting purposes. (State College’s airport boasts direct flights only to and from Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. — although it’s trying to get more.)
But the airport isn’t an issue in Blacksburg. The Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport is located near campus and provides charter flights for athletic and university business — a perk Franklin made sure to mention Wednesday while discussing recruiting.
“There are going to be some years where the state of Virginia is going to have enough players to be a good portion of our recruiting class. There’s going to be other years that it isn’t; we’re going to have to widen our nets,” Franklin said. “That’s always the case. That’s the nature of college football. So having these relationships in the footprint are important, but we also have to be able to go nationally.
“That’s where having an airport right on campus is going to be important. We’re going to be very aggressive in doing that. That’s also where some of the budget decisions are important as well, to allow myself and the assistant coaches to get out and to be efficient with our time when there’s really not enough time every day to do it all as it is.”
According to On3, Penn State has registered four straight top-15 recruiting classes. Virginia Tech hasn’t cracked the top 30 during that same time period. It’ll be interesting to see how the 2027 class shapes up.
