The atmosphere around the Virginia Tech Hokies’ football program and school is different from how it has been in the past, thanks to the arrival of head coach James Franklin.
Coming off a successful 12-year run with the Penn State Nittany Lions as their head coach, Franklin has bounced back from being fired midway through the 2025 season to get back to leading a football program. He finished his tenure at Penn State with a 104-45 overall record, winning the Big Ten title back in 2016.
With a fresh start and a new perspective on everything, Franklin is tasked with rebuilding a Hokies program that went 3-9 last year and has had only one winning record in the last four years under former head coach and now defensive coordinator Brent Pry. Franklin has proven to be very confident in himself and the team he has assembled over the last few months to prepare them for the 2026 season.
James Franklin Wasn’t Afraid to Make a Bold Claim About Virginia Tech
GettyCHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – JULY 16: Head coach James Franklin of the Virginia Tech Hokies speaks during the ACC Kickoff media days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown on July 16, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Matt Kelley/Getty Images)
While attending his first ACC Media Day event, Franklin talked about the offseason work the team has put in to bring in new recruits and transfer portal guys. The Hokies’ head coach seemed very confident in his team.
“We are bigger, we are stronger, we are faster than we have been,” Franklin said via On3’s Brett McMurphy. “There’s no doubt about that. We’ve won the offseason. That’s a great soundbite. The reality is we’ve got to make sure those things translate to the season”
According to 247Sports, the Hokies landed three four-star high school recruits and brought in 22 total recruits overall. The real work was done through the transfer portal with 27 new players entering the program in 2026.
Franklin made sure to bring in a lot of his former players from Penn State, signing 12 from the Nittany Lions‘ 2025 squad. The biggest name in the group was Franklin’s backup quarterback last season, Ethan Grunkemeyer, who is expected to be the starting quarterback heading into the new year.
Virginia Tech Appears to be a Completely Different Team Entering the 2026 Season
GettyBLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA – NOVEMBER 22: Virginia Tech Hokies head coach James Franklin greets fans on the field before the game against the Miami Hurricanes at Lane Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan Hunt/Getty Images)
Expectations for the Hokies are not as high as some of the old teams under Frank Beamer as head coach, but things have changed with them. Most preseason predictions have Virginia Tech finishing near the top five of the ACC.
Grunkemeyer had a solid 2025 season replacing Drew Allar at Penn State, showing improvement throughout the year. Now Franklin will hand the keys off to him to lead the program to new heights.
Despite a lot of new players, the returning players are going to play just as big a role on the team. Linebacker Kaleb Spencer was the leading tackler last year and also had the team lead with 8.5 tackles for loss. On offense, they will lean on returning starting running back Marcellous Hawkins and leading wide receiver Ayden Greene to step up.
It should be an easy start to the season for Virginia Tech, with home matchups against VMI and Old Dominion. They start ACC action in their third game on the road against Maryland, which will be Franklin’s first big challenge since taking the head coaching job.
James Franklin Makes Bold Claim Ahead of Virginia Tech Debut