If it were not for James Franklin’s wife, Fumi Franklin, and his family, the Virginia Tech coach may not have been coming out of the tunnel to “Enter Sandman” at Lane Stadium. James was considering a brief retirement after being fired by Penn State during the 2025 college football season.
The Virginia Tech coach revealed that his wife, Fumi and agent urged him to consider taking another job. James and his wife have two daughters, Shola and Addison (Addy), and it appears the family was not ready for the coach to be home all day.
“I got a guaranteed contract. I don’t have to work, but my wife and my agent were like, ‘Look, you need to go work,'” James noted during a May interview on “Next Up with Adam Breneman,” per Yahoo Sports.
“Because not only are you going to drive yourself crazy, you’re going to drive them crazy. And then they both convinced me to go on ‘College GameDay’ at Georgia.”
James is referencing an appearance on “College GameDay” shortly after the longtime coach was fired by Penn State. The move was clearly the start of an audition to land another coaching job.
Eventually, Virginia Tech offered James the Hokies head coaching job and things already appear to be turning around in Blacksburg.
Virginia Tech Coach James Franklin Is Proud of Family’s Multi-Racial Identity
James has been open about some of the challenges of growing up in a multi-racial family. The veteran coach was born to a white mother and Black father, per StateCollege.com’s Ben Jones.
“It was very early on that I realized that I was different,” James told StateCollege.com during a 2019 interview. “I got into a lot of fights in elementary school and got in some fights in junior high. It was obvious that I was different.
“I always identified as African-American and I think that’s because all of my family was. I realized that it was a blessing, that it was a positive, but growing up, yeah, it was hard,” James continued.
“It was hard, it was challenging. There was a lot of conflict. There were a lot of tough conversations.”
Virginia Tech HC James Franklin Signed a 5-Year, $41.75 Million Contract
Virginia Tech signed the Hokies’ new coach to a lucrative five-year, $41.75 million contract, per ESPN’s David Hale.
“Franklin’s deal, which runs through 2030, is largely backloaded, with Virginia Tech on the hook for $6 million for the 2026 season and up to $13.25 million for 2030,” Hale wrote in a November 21, 2025, story titled, “James Franklin gets 5-year, $41.75M+ deal at Virginia Tech.”
“But there are perks for Franklin, including bonuses of up to $800,000 annually based on Virginia Tech’s TV viewership. This dovetails with the ACC’s new revenue distribution model that rewards schools with a larger slice of the financial pie based on TV ratings.”
James Franklin’s Retirement Loomed Before Wife, Fumi & Family Urged Virginia Tech Move