James Franklin has a “duty to mitigate” in his contract with Penn State and immediately expressed interest in returning to the sidelines during his appearance on College Gameday the week after he was fired. With the offset in his contract, that could let the program off the hook for much of his $50 million buyout.
So, Franklin being rumored for jobs is good news for Penn State. However, there are a few landing spots that could allow him to become a thorn in the Nittany Lions’ side, and one of those is a job he’s frequently connected to: the Virginia Tech Hokies.
If Franklin heads to Blacksburg, he would be replacing his former defensive coordinator, Brent Pry, but that connection won’t sour Tech fans on the idea. The boosters who will pay for the next head coach and his roster at SEC powerhouse jobs that are open at LSU and Florida wouldn’t rally behind Franklin’s abysmal record against top-10 ranked opponents, of which he’d face many more in that league. That opens Franklin up to take a slight step back and land in the ACC.
James Franklin is perfect for Virginia Tech
The potential landing spot at Virginia Tech is about more than exciting a donor base and finding the right level for Franklin to succeed; it’s also about geography. Before Penn State Franklin posted successful seasons at Vanderbilt, six hours from Blacksburg, but in a similar recruiting footprint. Then, while at Penn State, he was the dominant recruiting force in the DMV (Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia) area.
The Northern Virginia area, specifically, needs to be the pipeline for Virginia Tech to be successful. Franklin took that away while at Penn State, but he could redirect his efforts Southwest and in the process erase Tony Elliot’s momentum at Virginia and continue to frustrate Mike Locksley at Maryland.
One of the main reasons that Penn State is widely considered to be the third-most appealing head coaching vacancy on the market, trailing LSU and Florida, is simple geography. LSU and Florida have more fertile recruiting bases in their backyards, and that means that at their best, their respective ceilings are higher.
If Franklin does land in Blacksburg and carves into Penn State’s recruiting grounds, that could further complicate things for the Nittany Lions.
Roster construction in college football is about much more than just geography. With so much money involved, players can be funneled to all four corners of the country for the right price. Yet, it will always be an inextricable aspect of the sport, so Penn State fans should hope that Franklin ends up far away from Happy Valley when the coaching carousel finally comes to a stop this offseason.