Former Penn State head coach James Franklin appears to have one head coach job locked down if he wants it.
The Virginia Tech Hokies are zeroing in on Franklin as their head coach target, according to multiple reports. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Saturday that the two sides are in the “early stages” of talks, and that there is mutual interest between the two sides.
According to Scott Roussel of Football Scoop, the Hokies want Franklin, but the former Penn State coach has yet to commit to the job. Virginia Tech is subsequently pressing for a decision.
The Hokies have not had a 10-win season since 2016 and have only finished a season ranked twice since the 2012 season. Franklin has often been criticized for building good teams that cannot get over the hump, but Virginia Tech would love the kind of sustained success he was able to bring to Penn State.
Another advantage for the Hokies is the fact that, with Penn State on the hook for a lot of money, Franklin could conceivably take a school-friendly deal without sacrificing much financially.
The Hokies have been without a head coach since they fired Brent Pry in September. Franklin has been on the market since the Nittany Lions fired him in October.
