Former Penn State football coach James Franklin appeared Tuesday before the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, saying he was blessed and honored to accept the job as the Hokies new coach.
“Just honored to be here,” Franklin said. “I want to thank the search committee. Those guys were relentless. Me and Fumi (his wife) were in Georgia. We have a place at Lake Oconee. We were there kind of just trying to get our minds clear and our hearts clear.
“Virginia Tech wanted to come and visit with us. We didn’t really know that that night they were ready for an answer.”
Contract details have not been announced yet, but Franklin and his agent, Jimmy Sexton, reportedly negotiated a $9 million buyout with Penn State. About $40 million of the buyout will be offset by his Virginia Tech contract.
Virginia Tech will hold a formal press conference Wednesday to introduce the 53-year-old Franklin. He will succeed Brent Pry, his longtime defensive coordinator who was fired by the Hokies in September with a 16-24 record, which included an 0-3 start in his fourth season.
Penn State director of athletics Pat Kraft fired Franklin on Oct. 12, the day after the Nittany Lions lost 22-21 to Northwestern at Beaver Stadium for their third consecutive defeat.
Franklin posted a 104-45 record in 11-plus seasons, the second-most wins at Penn State. Including three seasons (2011-13) at Vanderbilt, his head coaching record is 128-60.
“It was a process, it really was,” Franklin said Tuesday in Virginia. “We poured our heart and soul into the last place for the last 12 years, learned a lot of lessons, got tremendous experience. Obviously, we’re going to take all those experiences and knowledge and bring it here to Virginia Tech.”
Several Penn State players expressed their pleasure Tuesday about Franklin finding a new job.
“I texted him yesterday to say congratulations and that I’m proud of him,” running back Nick Singleton said. “I’m just happy for him. He’s been through a lot this year. To see him get another job is just phenomenal. That’s my guy. I’m just happy for him.”
Offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh was one of the top recruits in Franklin’s 2023 recruiting class at Penn State.
“I’m incredibly happy for him,” Donkoh said. “He’s an amazing person first and foremost. For him to get a job like that, I’m very happy and excited for him to have this opportunity. I have not had the chance yet to reach out to him. Whenever I get the chance, I will.”
Tyler Duzansky, Penn State’s long snapper, said he reached out to Franklin to wish him well on Monday night.
“I’m super happy for Coach and his family,” Duzansky said. “He was a huge leader to everybody in the Lasch Building, so everybody was super excited to see him and his family get that opportunity. We know he’ll do great things over there.”
Zakee Wheatley has played safety for five seasons at Penn State. He was asked what he would tell Virginia Tech players about his former coach.
“He’s going to make it family-oriented,” Wheatley said. “You’re gonna feel the love. You’re gonna feel the passion. He’s going to be a great leader.”
