2025 season was the year of firing head coaches. Of all the 11 Power Four head coaches who were fired, James Franklin was the least expected one. After all, the former Nittany Lions HC was constantly flirting with double-digit wins and was coming off one of the best seasons in the university’s history. However, despite that, things went south fast as the front office decided to cut ties after going 3-3. When asked about that and, as a result, Franklin’s legacy, the Virginia Tech Hokies head honcho kept it raw.

“[My legacy at Penn State is] not for me to decide or say. But I do know this. Like Coach Herbstreit and Coach Meyer just mentioned, we got there at a challenging time,” James Franklin said on The Triple Option podcast. “After year three, we won the Big Ten championship before people thought we were ready to do that and put Penn State back on the map.

“I know that we left the place a lot better than we found it. I poured my heart and soul into that place, those people, and, most importantly, those young men. I’m proud of it,”

Franklin took over the Nittany Lions back in 2014 during an incredibly challenging time when the school was buried under NCAA sanctions and scholarship restrictions.

Despite those tribulations, he changed the trajectory of the program in just about three years. By 2016, he shocked the community by leading Penn State to a thrilling 38-31 victory over Wisconsin to claim the Big Ten Championship.

Following that 2016 breakthrough, Franklin established a remarkable culture of winning that lasted for almost a decade. In the former coach’s words during the podcast: “After that, we were consistently between a top 10 and a top 15 program pretty much year in and year out.”

When you look further at the numbers, he finished his Penn State run with a stellar 104-45 record and four separate 11-win seasons.

Regardless, Penn State didn’t give any benefit of the doubt. Franklin revealed his athletic director walked into his office just 20 minutes before a scheduled team meeting to deliver the bad news. He was stunned but immediately scrambled to call his wife and daughters so they wouldn’t have to find out the life-changing news from social media.

But as emotional as the past 12 years were, Franklin made it clear that the page has officially been turned. He isn’t wasting any time looking backward or feeling sorry for himself.

“Our focus is on Virginia Tech and the maroon and orange,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to see you guys at some point this year.”

He left no doubt that while his Penn State chapter ended abruptly, he’s focused on building another powerhouse.

Apparently, this shouldn’t take much time.

Year 1 ceiling for Franklin at Blacksburg

For the Hokies to get that 11-win season, it all rests on redshirt sophomore quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer. Last season at Penn State, he showed tons of heart and promise. He had the game of his career against Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl, where he threw for a career-high 260 yards and two touchdowns, completing 23 of 34 passes.

On the other side, Franklin used his elite recruiting reputation to haul in a Top-25 class and snagged high-profile transfer portal talent, including defensive linemen Mylachi Williams and Daniel Jennings. If they blend in, this defense will turn into a legitimate problem for the rest of the ACC.

Another reason for its high ceiling is Franklin’s proven track record of orchestrating quick turnarounds.

When he took over a historically struggling Vanderbilt program, he inherited back-to-back 2-10 seasons and immediately dragged them to 6-7 in Year 1 before rattling off consecutive 9-win years. He did similarly at Penn.

We can be fairly sure Vanderbilt might get the same treatment.