James Franklin had a 12-year coaching stint with the Penn State Nittany Lions. In his last season, the program had high hopes because of his run to the CFP semifinals the previous year and with several of his key players staying on the roster.
Those dreams were crushed once the 2025 season started and James Franklin’s team went 3-3, leading to the Nittany Lions parting ways with him. When Franklin left Penn State, rumors spread that he was recruiting players to follow him to Virginia Tech.
Soon, the rumors became a reality as 12 players joined the Hokies ahead of the 2026 season. During a recent appearance on Next Up with Adam Breneman, Franklin said that he didn’t want the Virginia Tech players to feel that the players he brought with him were going to be his first choice.
However, Franklin’s comment has done little to convince fans. Some are openly calling him out, saying it’s nothing more than a PR stunt by the head coach.
“Never trust the declarations of a PR guy, they’re lies,” a fan wrote.
“Lmao the majority of the guys that transferred to VT didn’t get much playing time anyway,” a fan wrote.
“There were favoritism rumors last year and the year before. NIL and playing time. Liam Clifford for one,” a fan wrote.
“I don’t trust that at all. Lots of coaches play their transfers because they recruited them and have a level of confidence in them,” a fan wrote.
“Kind of funny to see Franklin-speak employed at a new location. He talks a good game about culture. Coaching, not so much,” a fan wrote.
“Watching PSU fans run up here to comment (like they’ve been doing every day for 9 months) after they’ve said they’re tired of Franklin talk about PSU once every 3 months,” a fan wrote.
Some Virginia Tech fans believe that the pushback is coming from Penn State fans who are still not over Franklin leaving the program with 12 players.
James Franklin Bragged About His Time at Penn State
During his 12-year tenure with the Nittany Lions, James Franklin went 104-45 overall, including 64-36 in the conference. Even though he was fired in the middle of the season, Franklin believes he made an impact with his former team.
“When you build something, and you’re so close,” he said during the interview. “I mean, six games earlier, we’re playing for a national championship. When you’re that close to doing something, and you’re so proud. I was so proud.”
Franklin said he was so proud of what he had built at Penn State, but suddenly, he had to uproot his life from the program and move to Virginia Tech. He believes the move disrupted the lives of his family members and the players he worked with.
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