Virginia Tech Hokies‘ new coach, James Franklin, is being adored by fans for his mellow and unique manner of player recruitment, which was recently recorded and published online. On Monday, Dec. 29, @NFL_DovKleiman on X/Twitter uploaded a 21-second clip of Franklin that was recorded by one of his players, while the tenured tactician was celebrating and enjoying the holiday season.
In the video, Franklin was asked by his player to call up and record a voicemail for his younger brother, who was allegedly deciding where to go for his collegiate football tenure, Franklin’s Hokies or coach Jon Sumrall’s Florida Gators. There is no indication as to which player Franklin was interacting with, but fans and spectators gave props to Franklin for the tone and content of his message to the young aspirant.
“ Max, bad time not to be answering your phone. It’s James Franklin. What are you talking about, Florida? Has the Florida head football coach called you? I’m hanging out with your family down here in the lobby. You’re definitely coming to Virginia Tech. It’s a done deal. You don’t have a voicemail from the head coach of Florida, and I’ll see you soon. See you buddy. Go Hokies,” Franklin said in the video.
This is awesome: James Franklin called a player’s brother who was debating whether to attend Virginia Tech or Florida.
“What are you talking about Florida? Has the Florida head football coach called you?”
Franklin is truly one of a kind 👏pic.twitter.com/0u8GFJWhKk
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 29, 2025
Whether the aforementioned player commits to Franklin’s new program or not, he will surely factor in the way the 53-year-old tried to persuade him. Franklin is joining the Hokies program in the 2026 college football season after they finished with an overall record of 3-9 (2-6 ACC) as the No. 13 seed in the 2025 ACC.
Franklin replaces former Hokies coach Brent Pry, who is now the team’s defensive coordinator.
The Penn State Nittany Lions Most Recently Won Their 2025 Bowl Game
James Franklin exits Penn State Nittany Lions as the head coach for the past 11 years. They finished their 2025 collegiate football campaign by winning the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 27, over coach Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers by a whopping 12 points, 22-10.
Penn State finished the year with an overall record of 7-6 (3-6 Big Ten).
Read More: “Penn State Is So Cooked”: Fans React As Clark Lea Signs Massive Vanderbilt Extension Amid James Franklin Replacement Rumors
Also Read: Penn State Could Find Potential James Franklin Replacement In Big 12 As New Candidate Emerges
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