James Franklin wants to keep the excitement going at Virginia Tech and 'shock the world'
BLACKSBURG — It took a couple of moments for the applause to finally fade Saturday afternoon before James Franklin could talk into the microphone. The Lane Stadium crowd had 12 minutes of game action to turn their attention from skydiver Pasha Palanker’s rescue from the video board back to the product on the field.
Franklin was the attraction during the break between the first and second quarters. He acknowledged the Blacksburg Volunteer Fire Department’s quick response in rescuing Palanker, and he then issued a statement that created quite a buzz in the stadium.
“We’re going to shock the world together,” Franklin proclaimed.
A bold statement that was music to the fans’ ears. Heck, after a three-win season, that type of rhetoric is welcomed in a town that hasn’t seen the Hokies finish the regular season with more than six wins since the 2019 campaign.
Franklin’s messaging since his hiring in the middle of November has been positive. He’s backed it up with one of Virginia Tech’s top signing classes in recent memory and then added one of the nation’s top transfer classes to reshape the roster.
“There’s an excitement right now and we want to keep that excitement,” he said Saturday.
Virginia Tech coach James Franklin addresses the team after the spring game on Saturday at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg.
Franklin’s resume indicates he backs up the talk of shocking the world.
Vanderbilt, an afterthought program for decades in the mighty Southeastern Conference, reached postseason play in all three of his seasons with the Commodores, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished before.
Penn State was expected to fall behind in the competitive Big Ten with the program facing sanctions from the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Franklin led the Nittany Lions to the league title in his third season.
That 11-win campaign was the first of six seasons in which Penn State won at least 10 games.
“We have been fortunate to be a part of two turnarounds in two different conferences, and we plan on doing that again,” Franklin said. “This place knows what it looks like. They’ve done it before.”
The coaches and players wore T-shirts during the winter workouts emblazoned with the slogan that indicated that the program was being re-established in 2026. Franklin was careful in choosing the slogan. The Hokies previously were an established powerhouse in the college football world under Frank Beamer, and Franklin mentioned that he wants to return the program back to that point.
“That’s what this whole re-established is about. For us to go where we want to go, that’s going to take the players, the coaches. That’s going to take the community. That’s going to take the fans. That’s going to take the lettermen,” Franklin said. “… But we’ve got a chance to do something very special here. We’re not going to hide from that.”
Franklin, though, is realistic in his approach. He’s been through multiple turnarounds to know improvement isn’t made overnight. There are exceptions to the rule in the transfer portal era (Hello, Curt Cignetti and Indiana), but Franklin doesn’t want to set the bar that high yet.
The focus now turns to the summer months. Keeping the momentum going heading into training camp is necessary.
Virginia Tech coach James Franklin shakes hands with the officials before the start of Saturday's spring game at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg.
"We have made tremendous progress in a short period of time, but we still have to improve really in every area. When you talk about having high expectations and standards, which we do, that will never change. This is just the start,” Franklin said. “We laid a foundation in the spring. Very pleased with how the guys have approached it and bought in. I’m very pleased with how the coaches have responded. We’ve just got to continue. We’ve got to keep stacking days and keep getting better in every single area. But I do think we laid a really good foundation this spring to go into the summer and take a significant step. Take a significant step.”
The need to keep improving and building depth was evident in Saturday’s spring game. Defensive coordinator Brent Pry noted that the Maroon team defense got tired and lost composure at times.
How did Vanderbilt and Penn State address building depth during Franklin’s tenures? Strong recruiting classes were layered together, and that led to more depth across the board.
“We’re not quite at a point where we split the team up that we’re going to play like we need to consistently enough,” Pry said.
Franklin isn’t naming starters after the spring game, even with quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, wide receivers Ayden Greene and Que’Sean Brown, tight end Luke Reynolds and defensive tackle Kemari Copeland seeming like locks to start after the spring.
That's fine with the players, according to Reynolds.
“There’s no animosity, there’s no ego because everyone’s trying to help each other be the best football player that they can be,” Reynolds said.
“Every group will be a competition. There’s no doubt about that,” special teams coordinator Doug Shearer said. “We’re going to let these guys continue to battle it out. We’re not going to leave spring ball and name anyone a starter. You get what you earn in life and you get what you earn in football, and that’s how that is in this program. They’re going to continue to battle.”
Franklin doesn’t miss an opportunity to bring up the alignment between himself and university leadership. He mentions how being on the same page with the Board of Visitors, rector John Rocovich, athletics director Whit Babcock and university President Tim Sands will help move the program forward.
A shakeup in that alignment is on the horizon. Sands recently announced he intends to step down soon and will stay on until his successor is named “so that the next president can take the baton in full stride.”
Rocovich and board members J. Pearson and Ryan McCarthy were instrumental in Franklin’s hiring as part of the search committee. McCarthy is one of five board members who have terms set to end on June 30, and they could all be replaced by Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
Sands’ replacement and the board’s new look will be instrumental in maintaining the alignment at the top of the university that has helped Franklin maintain the positive momentum since his hiring.
“We’re going to need everybody to understand and buy into that for us to go where we want to go,” Franklin said. “The positivity in this town and the excitement in this town right now is infectious. It affects our players, it affects our coaches, it affects recruits, and it’s going to make for a very difficult environment for people to come and play in. We’re not going to shy away from those things. We came here to do something special, and with a great group of guys in the locker room that are bought into what we’re doing. We’re going to continue on that.”
Damien Sordelett (540) 981-3124
