James Franklin is back on his feet. Just 36 days after he was let go as the head coach of Penn State, he’s got a new program to lead in Blacksburg, Virginia. And, as the new head coach of Virginia Tech, Franklin hasn’t wasted any time rebuilding a 2026 recruiting class. Understandably, he’s starting with the players who already committed to play for him in Happy Valley.
Franklin has reportedly been in talks with multiple Penn State commits, and he’ll likely add a few of the uncommitted players who were once in his class just over a month ago. While he’ll need to cast a wide net to jumpstart his roster, there are a few players, from the 12 that are still left in Penn State’s class, who stick out as major flip candidates in the coming days.
One of the reasons James Franklin is such a good fit at Virginia Tech is that he recruits the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) area so well. He made it a pipeline to Penn State, particularly dominating recruiting in Virginia in the 2023 class, which was headlined by linebacker Tony Rojas.
While Polydor is a bit further east, Baltimore still counts as the DMV, and that is the most important area for Franklin to control as he establishes his recruiting base in Blacksburg.
Like Polydor, Harley is another DMV recruit. Before committing to Penn State on July 5, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound edge rusher took an official visit to Virginia Tech and former head coach Brent Pry. Franklin developed elite edge rushers over his time in Happy Valley, so if Harley already has some familiarity with Blacksburg and is loyal to Franklin and the members of his staff that he can bring with him, he would seem to be an easy recruit to flip.
Unlike a few of the Penn State commits from nearby, Eziuka hadn’t even been offered by Virginia Tech, let alone taken an official visit like Harley and three-star linebacker Mathieu Lamah. So, Franklin set out to rectify that, offering him on Tuesday and scheduling an upcoming official visit.
With so much momentum building in the first day after Franklin took the job, it seems inevitable that Eziuka, who reopened his recruitment after Franklin was fired, will join him in Blacksburg.
One of the few Virginia natives left in Penn State’s 2026 class, Lamah was immediately contacted by Franklin about flipping to the Hokies. Lamah has already visited Blacksburg and nearly committed to Pry, Franklin’s former defensive coordinator, this summer.
Before Franklin even put pen to paper with Virginia Tech, Sieg already had “wherever Franklin ends up” as a finalist in his reopened recruitment. Pitt has pushed hard, and the four-star safety took an official visit to Notre Dame this week, but it seems that Franklin will be heard from before Sieg makes it official.