During his 12 years at Penn State, James Franklin built the program in his image. That reflected in the Nittany Lions’ recruiting as well. Franklin was always there for his players, even when they were getting picked in the pros. Naturally, when he moved to Virginia after being fired by Penn State, some of those players followed their former head coach. On his part, Franklin understands those decisions wouldn’t have been easy.

“Whenever you’re trying to build a company. Whenever you’re trying to build a program, you want to do it with people that you trust and you know,” Franklin said at the 2026 ACC Kickoff on July 18. “They had decisions to make. They were in the portal. They were choosing schools. You go somewhere where you don’t know the people, you don’t know the head coach, you’re taking on a risk.”

Franklin brought players like Tyseer Denmark (WR), Keon Wylie (LB), and Luke Reynolds (5-star). In addition, linemen such as Michael Troutman, Mylachi Williams, and Cortez Harris also followed Franklin to the Hokies. That’s not all. The former PSU head coach also flipped several 2026 commits.

Messiah Mickens (RB), Terry Wiggins (LB), and Troy Huhn (QB) ditched Penn State for Virginia Tech. Mathieu Lamah and Roseby Lubtinus also called Blacksburg their new home. Overall, Franklin flipped nearly a dozen commits from PSU’s 2026 recruiting class.

“Part of this for all of us is you want to go get the five-star. You want to go make the best decision, you want to find the perfect place,” James Franklin said. “Part of it, too, is reducing risk. In any business model, you want to reduce risk. So, I want to build this with people that I trust and know and love. I think they wanted to go somewhere with someone they trusted and respected.”

Mickens was committed to Penn State before most of his recruiting class. James Franklin was the primary reason why he chose PSU. However, when Franklin left, he opened up his recruitment. Immediately, he announced a visit to Virginia Tech after the 2025 season and announced his flip. For him, visiting the campus was a revelation, since VT under Franklin looked no different from any other blueblood program.

Former Penn State player Keon Wylie also joined Franklin at Blacksburg and found the same blueprint that he had at Penn State. “He is the same guy as always,” Wylie said to 247Sports as he announced his joining.

Virginia Tech isn’t the same as it was under Brent Pry. The program is investing $229 million in its athletic department and providing every resource to help Franklin succeed. That likely resonated with many PSU recruits and players.

Franklin’s demeanor also seems like that of a coach with a chip on his shoulder. He left a $40 million buyout to accept the VT job and publicly announced on College GameDay that he would win the national title elsewhere. In a sport built on relationships, trust, and mentality, assurances play a pivotal role. Franklin has so far used it to his advantage to lure recruits, elite staff, and prospects.