James Franklin is going all-in to steal several Penn State commits this weekend

Less than 40 days after being fired by Penn State, James Franklin’s tenure at Virginia Tech is already underway, and since he won’t be on the sidelines for the Hokies' final two games of the regular season, his first priority in Blacksburg is clear: recruiting. 

Unsurprisingly, Franklin has started by reconnecting with the recruits who committed to play for him in Happy Valley and attempting to raid what is left of Penn State’s 2026 recruiting class. He’s wasted no time getting those top targets to Blacksburg. 

Five Penn State commits will be at Lane Stadium on Saturday when Virginia Tech hosts Miami in Week 13, including the Nittany Lions’ top-ranked remaining recruit, four-star safety Matt Sieg. Sieg will be joined by four-star tight end Pierce Petersohn, three-star offensive linemen Marlen Bright and Benjamin Eziuka, and three-star linebacker Mathieu Lamah. 

Virginia Tech hosting 5 Penn State commits at Lane Stadium in Week 13

Franklin is very likely to bring much of what remains from his 2026 Penn State class to Virginia Tech. Still, with multiple options on the table for the recruits and the coaching search in Happy Valley far from finalized, they won’t just commit to the Hokies sight unseen. 

It should be expected, though, that most of these players make a decision soon after this trip to Blacksburg. It may not be as simple as a choice between Penn State and Virginia Tech. Sieg is being pursued by Pitt, Indiana, and West Virginia, and recently took an official visit to Notre Dame since reopening his recruitment. 

Unfortunately for Franklin, he can’t bring his entire class to Virginia Tech because in the 36 days between his firing and hiring, much of the class was raided by other programs, including West Virginia, which landed a commitment from four-star offensive tackle Kevin Brown. There are also other targets that Franklin will be after, who have de-committed from the Penn State program, including four-star quarterback Troy Huhn. 

Huhn de-committed from Penn State after Franklin’s firing and is the top remaining uncommitted QB in the 2026 class. The 6-foot-4 San Marcos, California, product is predicted to land at Virginia Tech and was offered by the Hokies on November 17. 

While he can’t just transfer the group a few hours southwest, Franklin will have help rebuilding the Hokies' recruiting class. Days after his hiring, it was announced that Franklin’s longtime general manager from Vanderbilt and Penn State, Andy Frank, left Happy Valley to join him. 

Franklin and Frank will look to score a few major commitments this weekend and deliver another massive blow to Penn State’s class.