The atmosphere Wednesday at Virginia Tech was quite different from the one in 2014 at Penn State.
As James Franklin was introduced as the Hokies football coach, “Enter Sandman” blared from the sound system and a light show flashed inside Cassell Coliseum.
Hundreds of supporters and students filled one side of Virginia Tech’s basketball arena to welcome Franklin with loud, spirited applause.
Franklin wore a dark suit with a tie and pocket square that was maroon, matching one of the Hokies’ school colors.
“I couldn’t be more excited by this opportunity,” he said.
Eleven years earlier in the smallish Beaver Stadium media room, he was introduced as Penn State coach in front of a handful of family and friends. Virginia Tech folks, on the other hand, pulled out all the stops and made Franklin’s introduction a celebration.
Let the honeymoon begin.
“Today is a landmark moment for Virginia Tech football,” director of athletics Whit Babcock said. “We are thrilled to introduce and welcome James Franklin as our next head coach. Today is a statement about where we’re headed as an athletic department and as a university.
“Coach Franklin is a proven program builder, a winner, an elite recruiter, a strong developer of men and a relentless competitor. His track record speaks for itself. Coach has succeeded everywhere he’s been.”
But not enough at Penn State. Nine months after leading the Nittany Lions to a 13-3 record and the College Football Playoff semifinals, Franklin was fired Oct. 12 by director of athletics Pat Kraft in the middle of his 12th season with a 104-45 record.
The night before, Franklin looked and sounded defeated following a 22-21 loss to Northwestern that dropped the Lions to 3-3. The Beaver Stadium crowd loudly booed him, including some that chanted, “Fire Franklin!”
Less than six weeks later, he appeared rested, energized and appreciated in his new home.
“I’ve been in this profession for over 30 years and have learned a ton of lessons,” he said. “I started in Division II (at Kutztown in 1995) and worked my way all the way up.
“All those experiences and all those lessons I’ve learned, we’re going to pour into Virginia Tech. I feel like it’s going to put us in a really specific position to separate ourselves over a ton of different schools.”
The Hokies might have been Franklin’s only option. Florida, LSU and Auburn, higher-profile schools, didn’t appear interested in him filling their vacant jobs. He couldn’t or wouldn’t wait to see if there would be other openings in the next few weeks.
Virginia Tech is the best place for him to be at the moment. It’s a match.
The Hokies have great history and tradition, but they’ve struggled since Hall of Fame coach Frank Beamer retired after the 2015 season. The path in the Atlantic Coast Conference to the CFP is not as rugged as the one in the Big Ten or SEC.
Six days after he was dismissed at Penn State, Franklin said during an ESPN interview that “we’re going to win a national championship” at his next stop.
“It starts with alignment and commitment,” he said Wednesday. “You pour all of that into a place (like Virginia Tech) that has great history, great pride, great traditions.”
Franklin’s shortcomings with the Lions were in big games. He went 1-18 against top-five teams and 4-21 against top-10 teams.
But he’s someone who knows how to build programs, and that’s what the Hokies need now.
They have an interim coach, Philip Montgomery, since longtime Penn State assistant Brent Pry was fired after an 0-3 start. Franklin became emotional when he brought up Pry.
“I’ve known Brent for over 30 years,” he said. “I know he poured his heart and soul into this place. This place is better today because of Brent and the commitment that he made.”
Franklin said he plans to continue his roster-building formula, primarily using high school recruiting and complementing it with transfer players.
“In my 15 years (as a head coach), we’ve always done it the right way,” he said. “There are no short cuts in building a program. I think we have a track record that shows that. Winning is really important, but there’s also a way to do it with character and integrity.
“We’ll continue to do that and represent Virginia Tech the right way on and off the field.”
Franklin said all the right things and often used several of his favorite words and phrases. He acknowledged Penn State without mentioning anyone by name.
“I want to thank Penn State,” he said. “I had 12 years there. It’s very unusual in college football to get 12 years at a place.”
He probably won’t be at Virginia Tech for 12 years, but he can rebuild the program and win there. It’s the right place at the right time.
