Just weeks after Penn State stunned the college football world by dismissing James Franklin on October 12 amid a shocking three-game skid, the veteran coach has wasted no time turning Blacksburg into his new proving ground.
Franklin, who was in his 12th season leading the Nittany Lions and widely expected to contend for a national championship this year, has already inked a five-year, $41.75 million deal with Virginia Tech.
The impact has been immediate and, for Penn State fans, painful.
In a single day this week, the Nittany Lions watched two prized recruits flip their pledges to the Hokies. Three-star interior offensive lineman Benjamin Eziuka and four-star wide receiver FatRat Brown, a Richmond native, both switched their commitments to follow Franklin south.
“The best in VA, stay in VA,” Brown declared after making it official.
Eziuka was equally emphatic: “The Hokies are back. In Coach Franklin we trust.”
Those two flips bring the total to more than five former Penn State commitments who have now followed Franklin to Virginia Tech, a development few found surprising since each originally chose the Nittany Lions because of the man now leading the Hokies.
Back in Happy Valley, the search for Franklin’s permanent successor remains ongoing with no official announcement despite whispers that a decision was imminent. The prolonged uncertainty has left current players and remaining commits questioning what the future holds, especially when compared with the familiar voice and system they signed up for under Franklin.
In Blacksburg, however, there’s no such hesitation. Franklin has dove headfirst into the job, bringing the same energy that previously lifted programs in need of a jolt back into the national conversation. Virginia Tech, a proud program searching for its next spark after years of treading water in the ACC, now has the coach who has repeatedly proven he can deliver exactly that kind of revival.
For Penn State, the losses are mounting both on the field and the recruiting trail. For James Franklin and Virginia Tech, the rebuild appears to already be well underway.
