Penn State’s football team opened the 2025 season as the second-ranked team on the AP Top 25 College Football poll. After starting 3-0, the Nittany Lions then suffered three straight losses. Two of those three losses came to unranked teams, UCLA and Northwestern. On October 12, one day after the Northwestern loss, James Franklin was relieved of his head coaching duties after over a decade in the Happy Valley.
While the mid-season firing came as a shock to many, Franklin wouldn’t remain unemployed for long. On November 17, Virginia Tech finalized a five-year contract for the former Penn State coach. This comes about two months after the Hokies fired ex-coach Brent Pry.
Franklin’s transition from the Big Ten conference to the ACC comes with special stipulations for Penn State and Virginia Tech players. Due to the NCAA’s rule change, Penn State and Virginia Tech players are operating under different regulations.
The previous NCAA mandate stated that immediately after a coaching change players are allowed thirty-days to enter the transfer portal. With Brent Pry’s early season firing, the Virginia Tech student-athlete specific transfer window opened on September 15 and ended on October 15.
Several notable players have recently entered the transfer portal from Virginia Tech. Among them is Dante Lovett, a 6-foot junior cornerback who also intends to redshirt. Another significant departure is Tucker Holloway, a junior wide receiver who holds the Hokies’ record for the most punt return yards in a single game, with 188. Christian Ellis, a senior safety from Florida, has also entered the portal. Additionally, Keyshawn Burgos, a consistent and reliable starter for Virginia Tech, also decided to transfer.
The up-to-date and current rule states, five days after a new head coach is hired or announced, players are given a fifteen-day window to decide if they want to stay or leave their school.
Currently, Penn State hasn’t found a new head coach, so their student-athletes aren’t allowed to enter their name into the transfer portal just yet. If Penn State doesn’t hire a new head coach by January 2, 2026, they will not get the special fifteen-day transfer window.
Another major plot in the James Franklin story is his recruitment. There have already been flipped commitments from Penn State to Virginia Tech, such as four-star offensive tackle Marlen Bright and four-star running back Messiah Mickens.
Virginia Tech and James Franklin flipped four Penn State commits in three days, rising 54 spots to No. 67 in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings🦃
— Rivals (@Rivals) November 28, 2025
4-star OT Marlen Bright
4-star TE Pierce Petersohn
4-star RB Messiah Mickens
OT Roseby Lubintushttps://t.co/flo7UanKET pic.twitter.com/77vCZ4iKV8
When it comes to college athletics, players have a ton of trust and sense of security in the coach that recruits them. This is very normal and as the former Penn State coach heads down south, he will surely take some of his guys with him.
Moving from the Penn State to the Virginia Tech, James Franklin faces a significant challenge, but if anyone can turn the tide and alter the Hokies’ trajectory, it’s him.
