James Franklin has a “duty to mitigate” in his contract with Penn State and immediately expressed interest in returning to the sidelines during his appearance on College Gameday the week after he was fired. With the offset in his contract, that could let the program off the hook for much of his $50 million buyout.
So, Franklin being rumored for jobs is good news for Penn State. However, there are a few landing spots that could allow him to become a thorn in the Nittany Lions’ side, and one of those is a job he’s frequently connected to: the Virginia Tech Hokies.
If Franklin heads to Blacksburg, he would be replacing his former defensive coordinator, Brent Pry, but that connection won’t sour Tech fans on the idea. The boosters who will pay for the next head coach and his roster at SEC powerhouse jobs that are open at LSU and Florida wouldn’t rally behind Franklin’s abysmal record against top-10 ranked opponents, of which he’d face many more in that league. That opens Franklin up to take a slight step back and land in the ACC.
James Franklin is perfect for Virginia Tech
The potential landing spot at Virginia Tech is about more than exciting a donor base and finding the right level for Franklin to succeed; it’s also about geography. Before Penn State Franklin posted successful seasons at Vanderbilt, six hours from Blacksburg, but in a similar recruiting footprint. Then, while at Penn State, he was the dominant recruiting force in the DMV (Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia) area…