How much will James Franklin make as Virginia Tech’s head coach? See his contract
Virginia Tech released new details about James Franklin’s contract as head football coach on Friday, showing the total value of his agreement surpassing $41 million.
The former Penn State football coach was named head football coach at Virginia Tech earlier this week, a little over a month after being fired from Penn State. Franklin’s contract at Virginia Tech runs through Dec. 31, 2030 and is valued at a total of $41,750,000, according to a release from Virginia Tech. His annual base compensation is $500,000 each year (pro-rated for the remainder of this year) through 2030, plus the following annual supplemental compensation:
- Effective date - Dec. 31: $5.5 million (pro-rated)
- Jan. 1, 2026 - Dec. 31, 2026: $5.5 million
- Jan. 1, 2027 - Dec. 31, 2027: $4.5 million
- Jan. 1, 2028 - Dec. 31, 2028: $3.5 million
- Jan. 1, 2029 - Dec. 31, 2029: $12.25 million
- Jan. 1, 2030 - Dec. 31, 2030: 12.75 million
Annual achievement incentives, or “win bonuses” are included in the contract for Franklin, as well as a bonus pool for assistant coaches and support staff. For example, if the football team won eight regular season games, Franklin would receive an $80,000 bonus.
There are post-season bonuses as well: $75,000 bonus for an ACC Championship game appearance, or $150,000 for an ACC Championship game win. It includes non-cumulative bonuses for College Football Playoff appearances and/or wins, too. The potential bonuses range from $150,000 for a first round CFP appearance to $800,000 for a CFP championship win.
Fringe benefits outlined in the contract include tickets and suites, a courtesy car and annual car stipend, a one-time $65,000 bonus to go toward moving and relocation expenses, and “business expenses.”
Franklin will have an up to $9.5 million budget for annual compensation of 10 assistant coaches, and a budget of up to $6 million for the compensation of football support staff. He’ll have up to $3 million annually for recruiting.
Franklin was fired by Penn State on Oct. 12 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.
He signed a 10-year extension in November 2021 — under previous athletic director Sandy Barbour — that went into effect in January 2022. He had a hefty buyout, but Penn State negotiated a settlement for his buyout in recent weeks, giving him 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.
See Franklin’s new contract and terms, as provided by Virginia Tech, below.
Reporter Jon Sauber contributed to this report.
