James Franklin joins Josh Pate - Pate State Speaker Series

Summary

Josh Pate's College Football Show: James Franklin Joins the Pate State Speaker Series — Episode Summary Original Release: April 14, 2026 | Host: Josh Pate | Guest: James Franklin (Head Coach, Virginia Tech)

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Episode Overview

This episode of Josh Pate's College Football Show is a special installment of the Pate State Speaker Series featuring James Franklin, newly-minted head football coach at Virginia Tech and former Penn State and Vanderbilt head coach. The conversation delves into Franklin's tumultuous year, the challenges and nuances of transitioning between high-profile college football programs, the complexities of coaching searches, and his evolving philosophy on coaching, recruiting, and program-building in the modern era. The discussion is candid, insightful, and offers a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the mechanics of college football leadership.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Navigating Change & Personal Reflection

• Life’s Unpredictability & Coaching Vulnerability

  • Franklin discusses how volatile and unpredictable college football (and life) can be, acknowledging, “As soon as you think you got a hold of things, life just throws you the ultimate curveball” (03:05).
  • On owning responsibility: “Let me also say I also own the things that I had responsibility for and didn’t do.” (03:54)

• Emotional Response to Being Let Go

  • Franklin reflects on his firing from Penn State and the evolution of his feelings from shock to acceptance, and then to deliberate action:

    “At first it’s just like the shock of it. Right. And then after that, it’s what’s next... You just kind of want to take a deep breath... You don’t want to be the bitter ball coach.” (04:48)

2. Growth, Evolution & Leadership Philosophy

• On Personal & Professional Evolving

  • Franklin emphasizes continual improvement for both himself and his players:

    “The James Franklin you knew at Penn State is not the James Franklin that you know now... everybody needs to be growing and evolving and learning from experiences.” (05:45)

• CEO vs. Hands-On Coach

  • He examines drifting toward a “CEO” style at Penn State, wishing to get back to daily coaching:

    “I felt like when I took this time and look back at it, had become more of a CEO than I really want to be. I want to coach.” (07:22)

  • On the importance of balance when hiring top assistants:

    “That’s the tricky situation, right? You want them to feel supported... how much do you get involved and how much do you let them do their jobs?” (07:22)

3. The Brent Pry Story: Humility & Unprecedented Staff Dynamics

• Unusual Coaching Staff Dynamic

  • Franklin details the rare situation of Brent Pry, the outgoing VT head coach, joining his staff as defensive coordinator:

    “I don’t think it’s happened... in the history of college football where head coach got let go and then stayed on the staff as a defense coordinator.” (09:43)

  • He emphasizes the personal relationships, shared history, and humility required to make this partnership work:

    “The humility you have to have for that is unbelievable. I think it’s very telling of the type of man he is.” (12:46)

• Staff Loyalty

  • Franklin shares a core value: reciprocated loyalty among staff and friends:

    “I called eight people on our staff... I want you to come and I need you there tomorrow... That next morning at 7am, eight cars were driving down to Virginia.” (42:50)

4. Coaching Search Realities & Choosing Virginia Tech

• Coaching Search Whirlwind

  • Franklin provides an insider’s perspective on the speed and chaos of being a hot coaching commodity:

    “Reality changes every 20 minutes... people are flying into Lake Oconee, we’re sitting in my house at the kitchen... I thought they were coming in for a first conversation... they were ready for me to say yes that night.” (19:23-19:50)

  • On handling his own search:

    “Now you’re out of work, so there’s no, like, hey, talk to my agent. I’m not dealing with this. You’re dealing with this.” (19:50)

• On Choosing VT & Demanding Standards

  • He discusses being more assertive in negotiations:

    “When you already got a contract and you don’t need a job, you’re probably more aggressive in the questions you ask.” (22:08)

  • “Virginia Tech had recognized they had not made the commitment to football that they needed to make... That was helpful.” (22:08)

• Importance of Alignment — Administratively & Culturally

  • Franklin defines “alignment” as everyone, down to campus power brokers and even external influencers (e.g., the governor, Coach Beamer), being on the same page:

    “Everything has got to look, feel, smell, and operate big time... the alignment needs to be [clear]... the same messaging. The vision should be the same.” (24:21)

5. Recruiting Philosophy: Local Roots, National Reach

• Recommitting to In-State Recruiting

  • Acknowledges historical failures at VT and outlines plans for aggressive in-state recruiting, with lessons from past stops:

    “We have got to show people in Tennessee and in Nashville that you’re going to have to deal with Vanderbilt... same thing in Virginia.” (27:26)

• Footprint vs. National Approach

  • Changes in recruiting strategy due to technology and travel:

    “In the 70s, 80s, and 90s, a kid from Virginia would never go to the west Coast... It’s harder to dominate and control your own area.” (29:18)

• The NIL & Branding Challenge

  • On selling the “brand” of VT to a new generation:

    “The problem is... none of these recruits, they don’t remember that [era]. Some parents come in excited about Mike Vick... but literally, the players, they haven’t seen a relevant Virginia Tech... That is our challenge.” (31:14)

6. Rebuilding in the Transfer Portal Era

• Balancing High School Recruits & Transfer Portal

  • Franklin cautions against fully “portal-built” rosters, notes Indiana as the outlier:

    “There’s so many more that have failed trying to do it that way than the one that has succeeded... If you’re a coach who can bring some players with you that you know, there’s a ton of value in it, but I don’t think you can be going to the portal and getting 40 to 60 players that you don’t really know off a two week speed dating process.” (38:33)

• Assessing Team Strengths & Weaknesses

  • Franklin notes the importance of building depth as the foundation of championship teams:

    “What there wasn’t was depth. And the players didn’t really understand that... I just came from a place that... was a game away from the national championship.” (40:10)

  • But on identifying “erasers” — elite difference-makers — that make the leap from good to great:

    “Do we have the erasers? ...Tyler Warren could make some plays every single week. Abdul Carter could make some plays every single week... That’s what I’m still trying to figure out.” (40:10)

7. Final Reflections & Takeaways

• On Loyalty and Relationships
  • The biggest lesson learned from the past year is the importance of a close-knit circle of loyal friends and staff:

    “The older you get, your circle gets smaller and smaller and smaller... all of our closest friends flew in [after my firing]... You got a core group of people that are fiercely loyal and you’re loyal to them. That’s reciprocated. That’s a two way street.” (42:50)

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “As soon as you think you got a hold of things, life just throws you the ultimate curveball.” — Josh Pate (03:05)
• “The James Franklin you knew at Penn State is not the James Franklin that you know now... Everybody needs to be growing and evolving and learning from experiences.” — James Franklin (05:45)
• “I felt like... I had become more of a CEO than I really want to be. I want to coach.” — James Franklin (07:22)
• “I don’t think it’s happened... in the history of college football where head coach got let go and then stayed on the staff as a defense coordinator.” — James Franklin (09:43)
• “You don’t want to be the bitter ball coach.” — James Franklin (04:48)
• “Everything has got to look, feel, smell, and operate big time... it needs to be consistent everywhere the players go.” — James Franklin (24:21)
• “The problem is... none of these recruits, they don’t remember that [era].” — James Franklin (31:14)
• “There’s so many more that have failed trying to do it that way [full portal rebuild] than the one that has succeeded.” — James Franklin (38:33)
• “The older you get, your circle gets smaller and smaller and smaller... you got a core group of people that are fiercely loyal and you’re loyal to them.” — James Franklin (42:50)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:05 – Franklin on life’s unpredictability and responsibility after being let go
• 04:48 – Processing the loss: from shock to reflection
• 06:49 – Becoming a “CEO”; desire to get hands-on again
• 09:43 – Unique coaching dynamic with Brent Pry
• 17:17 – Why Franklin didn’t take a year off after Penn State
• 19:23 – The whirlwind of coaching searches and the reality vs. media narrative
• 22:08 – What Franklin demanded from VT before accepting the job
• 24:21 – Explaining “alignment” and its granular importance
• 27:26 – In-state recruiting philosophy
• 31:14 – Selling VT football to a generation unfamiliar with its heyday
• 38:33 – The risks and pitfalls of building via the transfer portal
• 40:10 – Evaluating Virginia Tech’s roster and identifying ‘erasers’
• 42:47 – Franklin’s greatest lesson from a challenging year

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Summary Tone & Style

The episode is forthright, down-to-earth, and insightful—matching Franklin’s signature authenticity and Josh Pate’s probing, fan-oriented approach. The conversation is especially rich for listeners interested in the mechanics of major college football leadership, staff dynamics, and the human side of coaching transitions. Franklin balances self-deprecation with pride in his core values, culminating in a testament to loyalty, humility, and relentless self-improvement.

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For New Listeners

If you haven’t listened to this episode, you’ll come away with a nuanced understanding of not just James Franklin’s journey, but also the complexity of modern college football rebuilding and recruiting, the pressures facing major program coaches, and the principles that guide successful leadership through turbulent times.

Transcript

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[Interviewer]

I are sitting together last summer. We're on your balcony, we're up in state College, and season's about to come. And then we fast forward. I mean, if I were to just snap my fingers, there's no way you could have known what life was about to have in store. But, I mean, does this not perfectly illustrate how foggy it is at all times? Like, how you can really never think you got a hold of things? Because as soon as you think you got a hold of things, life just throws you the ultimate curveball. Yep.

[James Franklin]

It's also why I've never gambled in my life. Right. Like, it's. It's unpredictable at times. And, you know, right now we're. We're blessed and fortunate to be here and happy and excited and got a huge chip on our shoulder. But no, I mean, obviously, when we're sitting there talking last summer, could not imagine, you know, that things would have changed the way they change.

[Interviewer]

So.

[Julian Edelman]

But.

[James Franklin]

But let me also say I also own the things that I had responsibility for and didn't do.

[Interviewer]

That's what I was going to ask you because I remember the day it happened. We're doing the show. I was trying to look back and try and figure out if you had ever, like, been terminated before. It had been a long time, if it had ever happened. So we went back to the mid-90s. Like, you may have worked at a grocery store at some point, but in coaching, it hadn't happened. So, like, many people can relate to that who are watching right now. Maybe not as a football coach, but whatever they do. So I've had it happen to me before. I've got the reactive emotion, and that takes a little while, but then you slowly transition to, like, more reflective emotion.

[Commercial Announcer]

It could be with a breakup you

[Interviewer]

had with a girl 10 years ago, and I've had them and I look back completely different than I felt in the moment. So now you're not even a year removed, but you're far enough removed where maybe you look back and you feel different things than you felt in the moment. How have you noticed those feelings Change over time.

[James Franklin]

Yeah. So, you know, again, when you talk about being at a place for 11 and a half years, essentially 12 years. Right. Which is an eternity now in college football. And for me, it was always about the players and the relationships. They're just so close to those players, so close to their families, and everything changes. Right. My kids were raised there 12 years, a long time. So at first it's just like the shock of it. Right. And then after that, it's. It's what's next. And then the problem is you don't get a whole lot of time. And because all the schools started to reach out and were interested in talking, and the reality is you just kind of want to take a deep breath because you want to make sure that you're going into it with a clear heart and a clear mind, and you don't want to be the bitter ball coach.

[Interviewer]

Right.

[James Franklin]

So that was really important. We have a place in Georgia at Lake Oconee, and me and my wife were there just trying to kind of. And then started to get into some conversations and people started kind of flying in and things like that. But it was for me to say at the time, you know, it wasn't a whirlwind. It was. But obviously in a much different place now. And, you know, I also think when you talk about being reflective, I also think it's important, right. We talk to the players all the time about, you need to be constantly growing, evolving, getting better, 1%, all the things that coaches say, right. Well, are you doing it yourself? Right. It's easy to point out what everybody else should be doing, but are you doing that? And I had that message with our team and even the Penn State players that decided to come here out of the transfer portal of telling them, listen, the James Franklin you knew at Penn State is not the James Franklin that you know now. And not from a negative standpoint, just be like, everybody needs to be growing and evolving and learning from experiences.

[Interviewer]

I heard you talk about this the other day on another show. You were talking about, what is the different James Franklin. Like, that's easy to say. What does that entail? And you were specifically talking about how maybe you got a little out of your comfort zone with hiring decisions you made in the latter years at Penn State. But also you became more and more of a CEO. You became less and less in the weeds, hands on day to day in practice, and that's kind of something you wanted to get back to. And like, we're approaching the spring game here, so you're through Most of a spring session at Virginia Tech. How different has that looked this time around now?

[James Franklin]

Yeah, so I think it's a combination of factors, right? Like at Vanderbilt, I had an offensive coordinator and didn't call the plays, but it was my offense. Right. So in this situation, when I hired Ty Howell, who I got a ton of respect for and has done a phenomenal job, not only here, but. But at the pass place as well, we had a lot of conversations what. What he wanted to look like, what I want it to look like. But I will also say this. When you're at a place like Penn State and you've had the type of success that we've had and you're able to go out and hire the people with the resumes, it's a fine line because you're hiring these people to do a job, and then how much do you get involved and how much do you let them do their jobs? And you want them to feel supported and those types of things. But that's. That's the tricky situation, right? So I felt like when I took this time and look back at it, had become more of a CEO than I really want to be. I want to coach. Right. I think, like, I look sometimes with envy at Brent Pry and Brent Price looking at me like, yeah, you go deal with all that stuff. I'm coaching ball. So. So I think that's been really good. And again, Ty, how has been so good in this role and leading the offense, but also has the humility to walk into my office in the morning and have a conversation or at the end of the day. And it's been. And it's been great, so I'm enjoying it. But, yeah, wanted to. Wanted to get back to, you know, kind of how this thing all started.

[Interviewer]

You mentioned Brent Pry. I love that guy. First guy I saw in the building today when I was walking in the outside world, would look at the dynamic that exists right here. That is the most foreign, weird idea to them. Like, they would think a normal person would look at that and say, boy, if a place fired me in my head coaching role, the last thing I want to do is stay there in an assistant role. Now, granted, it's kind of unique because the guy who gets hired if I'm Brent Pratt, I've worked for him before. So as much as you can, like, walk people through what that process was, because first off, you could hit him up when you're looking at this position and he's got the answers to the questions you have, but then you get hired and then it's role reversal. And you're asking him, hey, would you be interested in this? That is. That's a very uncomfortable thing for a normal person to think through. How did that thing play out?

[James Franklin]

Well, first of all, I don't think it's happened. I can't think of another time where that's happened in the history of college football where head coach got let go and then stayed on the staff as a. As a defense coordinator, offense coordinator. I don't know if you've remember any, but really the way it played out was me and Brent were having a lot of conversations anyway. Right. We both had been let go. We're both in this situation. Really good opportunity for both of us to bounce things off of each other and be a sounding board. And then when the calls started to come from other schools, I was talking to him about those opportunities. Hey, what do you think about this job? What do you think about this job? And there was interest in me bringing Brent to any of those types of jobs. And he showed interest in wanting to come with me. And then it was funny, the Virginia Tech thing became more real. And I said to him, hey, I know we've been talking about these other jobs. I know you wouldn't be interested in Virginia Tech, but do you have any opinions on the job? And he said, well, just so you know, we would be interested.

[Interviewer]

That must make your eyelids raise a little bit. Yeah.

[James Franklin]

And then as soon as he told me the reason why, number one, we'd worked together for nine years. His dad was my offensive coordinator in college. His first coaching job was my senior year in college. So we go back 30 years also, when he was my defensive coordinator and we worked together, we had some of the best defenses in college football. And that's also what I tried to explain to people here, is he got the Virginia Tech job because he was one of the best defense coordinators in college football. Right. So all of that kind of played out. But then he just said to me, said, james, you know, the plan was where my daughters are in school, they were going to stay for at least another year. My wife and daughters. So when the idea came up of you getting the job and the family being able to stay together and be able to work with you at Virginia Tech, a place that I love. That's why it worked out. I think any other combination that wasn't there, it probably doesn't happen. Right. If his family wasn't staying, I don't know if it happens. If we hadn't worked together for nine years. I don't think it happens. But I also think it's a credit to Brent Pry, like his love for Virginia Tech, but also the humility that you have to have to walk back in this building. One of the best things is we had a team meeting in here and I brought him in and the room stood up and gave him a standing ovation, which to me was like for me and for him, like, I was so happy he got that moment because right away it set him at ease, right? But then also that first day walking in the building, the humility that you got to walk past the head coach's office or I call him and say, hey, could you come down my office and let's visit. You know, the humility you have to have for that is unbelievable. I think it's very telling of the type of man he is.

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[Interviewer]

So I remember when the announcement came out from the Penn State side of things, I did two things. The first thing I said was, I said, man, if I were him, I just want to take a year off and recharge. Now I know you, so I knew you were never probably going to do that, but that was me trying to project the way I view the whole ecosystem on someone else. You didn't. You took the attitude of no, I want to get right back in. Why? Basically, why jump right back in.

[James Franklin]

So. So first of all, my wife and agent were like, you'll drive yourself and us crazy. So you need to get back into it. That was a part of it. And just the more I spent time. I'm not a relaxer in general. Even on vacation, like, I need to be busy. I need to be a part of a cause. I need to be making a difference. I got to be involved. I just. I didn't really see myself being one of these guys that just goes travel around and visits people. Although I get the value in that. It just. It didn't seem to make sense for me then, you know, my wife and agent convinced me that, hey, go on espn, game day. This will be a great idea. I said yes, then slept on it. I'm like, I'm not ready to do this. What am I doing? Right? But that ended up being really good. Going to Georgia. It was in Athens. We were in Georgia at the time, so that worked out really well. But to me, this is how I'm wired, right? This is what I want to do. I'm essentially working for free because I was going to get paid either way. And I hope that's telling to the players and I hope that's telling to the staff that I'm in this because I love to coach and I love to make a difference in young people's lives. And I want to be a part of a community and build something special at a place with great history and tradition. But there was a lot of soul searching and a lot of pushing and shoving and pulling to get to a good place, but this was definitely the right decision for me and my family.

[Interviewer]

I got about a million Virginia Tech questions for you. Just a second. I want to hear one more about this. Because people don't ever get to see the inner workings of, like, coaching searches. They read reports. Reports are, at best, like, 10% of the reality and 90% of the fantasy. Sometimes from the time you decide, nope, I'm jumping right back in to the time the calls start happening, conversations start happening. Having been privy to, like, some of that process, at times, it's like, reality changes every 20 minutes.

[James Franklin]

Yes. And you're.

[Interviewer]

You're doing everything from speaking, sometimes secondhand, sometimes firsthand. You've got your representation running interference for you. Sometimes. Then all the while, you're thinking, okay, if I do take an opportunity, who do I want on the staff? Like, explain as best you can what that whirlwind is like, where your mind as a potential candidate for multiple jobs is at all the while knowing. Man, I just left another one, like, five minutes ago.

[James Franklin]

Well, it was very different. Back to your first. First question comment. You Made is I'd never been fired before. So in the past, we had turned down a bunch of jobs at Vanderbilt, turned down a bunch of jobs at Penn State. But I'm never really involved because your agent's handling this. Well, now you're out of work, so there's no, like, hey, talk to my agent. I'm not dealing with this. You're dealing with. Obviously, he was involved as well, but it was a very different process. And then it was, well, we want to come see you. So now people are flying into Lake Oconee. We're sitting in my house at the kitchen, me and my wife at the kitchen table, you know, and. And Virginia Tech was the first school to fly in. And the problem is, I thought they were coming in for a first conversation, feel each other out, where they were ready for me to say yes that night. And it started the clock, and they're putting pressure on you, and other schools are still kind of going through the process. So it was. It was a lot all at once. But this was very different because I was handling it all with my wife, with my agent, where a lot of times when people are interested, they're reaching out, and there's no conversations. It's all through your agent. So this was. This was very different. The other thing, as you mentioned, all the. I'd say 70% of the stuff that was out there was not accurate. Right. So it was interesting to see everybody's trying to be the first to break a story and they're putting things out, and, like, I'm like, this is not accurate. Right. But, you know, it's just kind of how the business is now. But things worked out the way they were supposed to work out.

[Interviewer]

So when you are considering one job or 10 jobs, but when you know you got an opportunity, you got things that you want to ask, like, they got questions for you, they want to vet you, but you got boxes that you need checked as well. When you started to look at Virginia Tech really hard, being at a place where you had everything it took, theoretically, to win national championships, you don't want to lower your standards. You want to try and strive for the same things you were striving for. What were the questions you needed answered from Virginia Tech before you decided to say yes?

[James Franklin]

Well, first thing, let me say this. When you already got a contract and you don't need a job, you're probably more aggressive in the questions you ask. So it's not like I'm trying to get everybody to fall in love with James Franklin and want to hire. I'm asking the tough questions, and if I don't love the answers and the responses, then I'm good. I don't need to take a job. Right. Although I wanted to. So that was kind of like a different approach with Virginia Tech. One of the things I think was helpful is, and you saw this, Virginia Tech had recognized they had not made the commitment to football that they needed to make, and they had already made a decision financially that they're going to invest in football in a way that they had not probably in the last 10 years. So that helped when we got involved in the job. And it's staff salary, it's nil. It's all these things. And the things we're asking for are not far off from where they already did their benchmarking. That was helpful, right? That was really helpful to say, okay, these are the things that we need to be successful and win at the very, very highest level. But then I think you get on campus and you also realize, okay, there's a financial reason that we haven't been as successful, but there's also philosophical things that need to change. And that alignment, which we've talked about before, is more important than it's ever been. And those things have to get figured out in as short a period of time as possible.

[Interviewer]

That obviously does not happen overnight. It doesn't happen over the span of weeks or a couple of months like that. That's an ongoing process. But even to get the ball rolling really downhill, it takes effort. It takes alignment. But when people say that word, alignment, a lot of times they mention it like 50,000ft. You're talking about granular alignment. And I heard you recently mention everything is specifically like the way the fencing was coated around here. Talk for a second about those kinds of conversations, who you have to have those conversations with, but also how granular, how fine you have to get on something that may in and of itself seem so insignificant, but it's indicative of the bigger culture that you want to be a part of. So.

[James Franklin]

So I think the first thing as you talk about alignment, you know, we have what we call the rector of the board. Some people call it the chair of the board or the president of board, but it's called the rector here. So the rector of the board, the president of the university, the athletic director, and the head football coach. That's the initial alignment that everybody talks about that needs to be on the same page. But I also called the governor, like I wanted to talk to the governor before taking a job as well. I wanted to talk to Coach Beamer and make sure he was comfortable. That alignment was really important to kind of get his blessing. But then it's okay. Who are the six to eight most powerful people on campus that we're going to have to have relationships with? And we're going to need their help and their support to execute the plan, because you can have this commitment financially, but then you'd be amazed that sometimes there's not the conversation with the people that have to execute. We didn't make this financial commitment without saying, like, basically, you got to be successful. We're going to make this commitment. It's got to be successful. Okay? All the. We need all these people to help it be successful, right? So making sure that that happens. But then one of the things that I've talked about a lot is everything has got to look, feel, smell, and operate big time. So if they go visit another place and then they come to our place, it's got to look, feel, smell, and operate like the last place did. Right? And the alignment needs to be with what I'm saying, with what my staff's saying, we all got to be singing the same song. We got to be singing the same tune. But it also has to be reflected in the facility. Like, one of the things that I brought up the other day is even stuff on the walls. Like, no disrespect, but the coach from two, two eras away shouldn't. His. His core value shouldn't be on the wall anymore. Now, people may disagree with that. I think it needs to be consistent. Everywhere the players go, there should be consistent messaging. The vision should be the same. For example, if Pepsi buys a Coca Cola facility, to take that warehouse or that facility and turn it into a Pepsi facility, they're not leaving the Coca Cola stuff still up on the wall, right? There has to be alignment. And again, it's got a feel, smell, look, operate big time from top to bottom. And those are the things that we're all over.

[Interviewer]

So from an outsider's perspective, you were mentioning two staffs ago. I watched the inadequacy of recruiting the state, the state of Virginia from here at Virginia Tech. And I was always amazed by it. And I watched you guys come in here and take players at Penn State. I watched Ohio State come in here, South Carolina, because of Shane, had a fair amount of success, and they prioritized Virginia. I mean, I know the answer is yes. If I were to ask you, are you prioritizing in state recruiting? But, like, beyond that, how serious, How. How. How aggressive do you have to be immediately in letting that message be disseminated throughout the building but also throughout the state?

[James Franklin]

Yeah, that, that again is that consistency, that alignment. We're all singing a song like when we, when we first went to Vanderbilt, it was the same way. And this was before Nashville and Tennessee exploded from a population standpoint. Right. We have got to show people in, in Tennessee and in Nashville that you're going to have to deal with Vanderbilt now trying to keep these players home. Same thing when we first went to Penn State. Right now, now the same thing in Virginia. To your point, we're familiar with the state. You know, I got a staff that's recruited this state hard. We got a ton of respect for the entire state. Northern Virginia has exploded a little bit. Like we talk about Nashville and Tennessee, where the population increases is where there's typically opportunities. There's tremendous history in the 757 Richmond I& on. It's really the entire state and we want to show young men and their families that you can achieve all your dreams by staying home and representing your state. You don't have to go anywhere else to get it. We got a ton of examples of guys that left and then have come back and had a ton of success. So it starts with that, but then I would also make the argument that's a starting point, but it's not the end all be all. We got to be able to have a wider net, excuse me, a wider net, and be able to recruit at least the footprint, if not nationally.

[Interviewer]

I mean, I remember back in the day people would talk maybe not like an Ohio State or in Alabama, but programs that you would consider second tier and then third tier and on down especially they would talk about their recruiting footprint and it would be like a little bubble, three hour radius, six hour radius, whatever. I don't hear people talk like that as much. They still say recruiting footprint, but it seems like the world, because of technology has really shrunk.

[James Franklin]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

And so people recruit nationally, what you would call national recruiting, a whole lot more. How, how is your philosophy on that sort of changed over the years? Also it correlates to where you're at in any given time.

[James Franklin]

Yeah. So like to your point, I think in the 70s, 80s and 90s, a kid from Virginia would never go to the west Coast. Right. Like the world is shrunk from a technology standpoint. From a travel perspective, kids are willing to go further. So it's harder, it's harder to dominate and control your own area. I think about the 757. I think Virginia Tech had a stronghold on the 757 for a long period of time. You know, Michael Vick is here visiting with us today. In my mind, if Allen Iverson was coming out, he would have played football Virginia Tech. If we were to staff here at the time, like that's, that's no disrespect to anybody. That's just in terms of our approach and how I want to go after this thing, the importance that we're going to put on the state of Virginia and the footprint. So we will go nationally. But I think part of that two is, and this was at the last place as well. You also have to look at how close are you to an international airport? How easy is it to get recruits in? How is it easy to get your staff out to go visit these places? All these things factor in to what your approach is going to be like. And this is another college town and we're 45 minutes from the first international airport.

[Interviewer]

All right, look, I know nil is a big deal today and there's a financial piece at the center point of most portal or recruiting conversations that notwithstanding, if all else is equal financially, you would not have had to sell me coming out of high school in the early 2000s on the idea of Virginia Tech as a national brand. Virginia Tech, I can go there. I can win a national championship. An 18 year old today, you kind of got to remind them or you have to teach them. No, that's possible. It's happened here before. Generations get away from you pretty quick to where you don't realize, oh, wait, wait. The way today's 18 year old looks at this place is different than I

[James Franklin]

would have looked at it.

[Interviewer]

So how do you sell Virginia Tech to me if I'm coming out of high school in 2026?

[James Franklin]

Yeah, I think that is our biggest challenge. Right? And it's not kind of. It's the reality. The problem is the media, the fans, the administrators, everybody else, they remember the Virginia Tech. So like, you know, the whole sleeping giant, they remember that. Problem is none of these kids, none of these recruits, they don't remember that. Some of their parents come in excited about Mike Vick and you know, enter Sandman and all that kind of stuff. But literally the players, they haven't seen that. They have not seen a relevant Virginia Tech competing at the highest level in most of their lifetimes. And when I say lifetimes in terms of when they were really watching college football. So that is our challenge. Right. You know, we have to talked about this whole reestablishing. It's reestablished. It's reestablished something that was already here. Coach Beamer had this place rolling, right? We want to get back to that. We're not building something out of nothing. But we got to get back to the things that made this place so special for so long. And that's why everybody was brought here. Players, coaches, staff, all of us. To get our fans and our alumni and our lettermen excited when they watch Virginia Tech play.

[Interviewer]

That's.

[James Franklin]

That's Virginia Tech football. That's what it's supposed to look like. That's how it's supposed to feel in the stadium.

[Julian Edelman]

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[Interviewer]

I always was curious when a guy takes a new job, you got a billion and one things that you want to do. You obviously have to prioritize those things. First thing, you got to put together a staff, you got to learn your roster. You immediately you got either a recruiting class and or a transfer portal class. Yep. And so there's just not enough hours in the day. Therefore there's some stuff you got to put off to tomorrow or the day after. How long does it take until you feel like you kind of at least have your hands around Virginia Tech? Like I fully understand what we got, where we're at. We'll define where we want to go and how we're going to get there. How long does that take?

[James Franklin]

So to your point, a little bit. This is my first rebuild in this era. So we went to Vanderbilt, one winning season in 30 years. Before we got there. We had a, we had a bunch of success. We go to Penn State. I'm proud that the Penn State that everybody thinks of now is the Penn State we built. It was not like that when we arrived. Right. But we're, we're doing a rebuild now in the transfer portal error. We've seen that you can do this quickly to your point. You can bring a model from Vanderbilt, you can bring a model from Penn State, but you can bring lessons. All these places, these institutions and these communities, they're unique and they're sophisticated and you need to figure them out. Right? That's where the value of having a Brent Pry who knows this place inside and out. Michael, Hazel Fontel minds guys that we retained, Jarrett Ferguson on the strength staff, who was the head strength coach, who's in a very similar situation as Brent Pry. That stuff is really valuable. Same with our roster. Hey, which players should we be fighting to keep and which ones are we okay with letting go? Typically, when you come in, you're trying to figure all that out on your own. The value of having people that we retained on the staff that we trust and value their opinions to say, hey, we need to keep these guys. So they're helping with the maturation process of the community, of the institution learning this place. We got great resources right in the building that we can ask a ton of questions to and we trust what they say.

[Interviewer]

Do you feel like there's a little bit of a trap door under this perception that you could adopt in the portal age of, hey, we've seen now we've seen examples. It is possible to go into a place and seemingly turn the roster around overnight. Like I've. I've watched some programs bring in 60 plus players two cycles in a row. They cycled in one group, didn't work. Cycle them out, cycle in another group. But there are also very cautionary tales out there. For every Indiana, I got multiple on the opposite end of the spectrum where they went too far down that portal slope and it is very hard to get back up that thing. How much do you have to fight the. The concept? I could go grab a ton of kids out of that portal right now. But I know and I know you like deep down you want this thing to still be built on high school recruiting as the foundation. So how much do you have to balance that mentally?

[James Franklin]

Year one, I don't have to fight it. The challenge is the media, the ads, the administration. They use the Indiana example. There's been one Indiana in the last hundred years. Right. And give them a ton of credit, give Coach Signetti a ton of credit. Right. But it's also created this feeling that everybody can do that now. And to your point, there's so many more that have failed trying to do it that way than the one that has succeeded. I also think there's a little bit like what we just went through is one of the big advantages that Indiana had is they brought a ton of players with them that they knew, type of people they were, they knew the type of players they were. I Think even, even last year they still had a number of those players on their roster that still had significant roles. Right. So I think that played a major part in that. And if you're a coach who can bring some players with you that you know, there's a ton of value in it, but I don't think you can be going to the portal and getting 40 to 60 players that you don't really know off a two week speed dating process. That's a lot of risk that you're taking on. And as much as you got to take some risks, you're also trying to, you're trying to eliminate risk as well that you have to take on as a program or in any business to make sure that you're not putting the program in jeopardy.

[Interviewer]

So far, you guys got spring game coming up. As you and I are talking right now so far, what's been your observation of the group you have here, the team you have here?

[James Franklin]

Yeah, so one of the things we talked about when I first got the job is I think there was talent here. What there wasn't was depth. And the players didn't really understand that because they'd never experienced that. And I was trying to explain to them, look, I just came from a place that six games earlier we were a game away from the national championship. And the depth that you have to have to play a 16 game season and win 13 games, the most games ever won, how challenging that is, the depth that you have to have to get through that type of a season, let alone all the way to the national championship game. So getting them to embrace that and understand that and we were able to again retain the right players, go out to the portal and create the depth that we needed. So right now I think we're in a really, really good place. The thing that I don't know yet is do we have the erasers right? Like two years ago at Penn State, not only did we have the depth, we had some erasers. Tyler Warren could make some plays every single week. Abdul Carter could make some plays every single week in critical games at critical moments. That's what I'm still trying to figure out. I think we have the potential to have that. I just don't know that through spring ball while they're still learning the systems and we're laying a foundation.

[Interviewer]

I remember last spring when you and I talked, one of the differences, one of the shifts you made philosophically was you said we went really heavy on install this spring, maybe more so than we would have normally. Okay, so then you come here, you brought parts of your staff with you, you know, so you guys aren't learning each other, but there are a lot of players here who are learning you. So how do you handle Install from a spring perspective here?

[James Franklin]

Yeah, we were aggressive. We were aggressive with Install because I want to be able to go to fall camp. And whatever we decide to do in fall camp, they've been exposed to it before, so it's the second or third time that they've. They've heard those things. So we've done a really good job of laying that foundation that when we come into the fall, we're still going to be competing, we're still going to be teaching and those types of things, but it's going to allow. We have every player here except for nine players that didn't graduate early that will come. Come in the summer. So I think it's going to put us in a really good position to compete and start to play fast and aggressive.

[Interviewer]

I'll get you out of here on this. So I'm going to ask you this question now. Maybe someone asks you 20 years from now, you answer it differently. But if you just go back the last year of your life, life, what is the biggest lesson learned, biggest takeaway you feel like you gathered from all that?

[James Franklin]

That's. That's a tough one.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, I could give you 20 years to answer it.

[James Franklin]

Yeah, that's a tough one. That's a broad one. That I would say is. Is a couple things. I guess the first thing that stands out to me is the older you get, your circle gets smaller and smaller and smaller. And what was probably most profound for me is when that went down and me and my wife flew to Georgia to be there, all of our closest friends flew in. My boy Mighty from Pittsburgh, Keith Gardner, he flew in. Our best friend, Jay Elliott from Seattle flew in. My boy Smitty from Jersey flew in or does. He drove. Our really good friend Annie Resnick, flew in to be with all these people were around us and wasn't a whole lot of talking, but they were just there, right? And that's what you recognize, right? You have this small circle of people that are there for you when times are the toughest. But I would say the same thing when it comes to staff. I got offered a Virginia Tech job, accepted it. I called eight people on our staff and said, look, I'm taking a Virginia Tech job. I want you to come and I need you there tomorrow. And I don't know what you're going to get paid, and I don't know what your title is going to be yet, but I need you to come. And that next morning at 7am, eight cars were driving down to Virginia to be a part of what we were doing here. And right away that shows you right. You got a core group of people that are fiercely loyal and you're loyal to them. That's reciprocated. That's a two way street. I think a lot of times people ask for commitment and recruiting or with their staff. They want commitment to them, but they're not committed, you know, in return. So that was powerful for me and, and something that I really needed at that time.

[Interviewer]

Hey, you've always been good to us, man, like sincerely. We appreciate it. Happy for you and we appreciate you joining us.

[James Franklin]

Appreciate you too.

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