Virginia Tech is hiring James Franklin as its next football coach, according to multiple reports.

The news comes just 36 days after Franklin was fired by Penn State on Oct. 12, following a 3–3 start to the season for the Nittany Lions. 

Franklin, who coached at Penn State from 2014 until his firing last month, had a buyout at Penn State of $49.7 million, which is the third largest of all time in college football. However, the school may not owe him that entire amount, due to offset language in his contract. 

Financial terms of Franklin’s new contract with Virginia Tech have not been released, so it is not yet known how that will impact how much money he receives from Penn State. His most recent salary in Happy Valley was $8.5 million.

Virginia Tech is 3–7 this season, and it has been under the leadership of interim head coach Philip Montgomery, after firing Brent Pry on Sept.14, following an 0–3 start. Pry, who was hired ahead of the 2022 season, was owed a buyout of roughly $6 million.

Bigger Budget in Blacksburg

In September, Virginia Tech approved $229 million of new funding for the athletic department over the next four years, after AD Whit Babcock said the school was lacking sufficient funding.

Of note, Virginia Tech is a longtime Nike school. Penn State is switching from Nike to Adidas in 2026, and that move led to questions about Adidas potentially wanting Penn State to fire Franklin, although those claims remain unconfirmed.

Franklin is the first major hire of what will be a busy hiring season in college football, with prime vacancies still unresolved at LSU, Florida, and Penn State, among others.

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