After the PSU firing, James Franklin inherited a Virginia Tech team, which was coming off a disappointing 3-9 season. His arrival to Blacksburg with a $41M five-year contract set the expectation high for fans, and even the coach also confirmed the Hokies’ improvement, saying, “We are faster than we have been.” But leading VT to its old winning culture in his first season isn’t something that sits well with former Hokie defensive coordinator Bud Foster.

“I’m excited to see what he’s [James Franklin] going to do. We’re going to be really good. And will it be this year? I don’t know,” said Foster during his August 8 appearance on Virginia Tech Athletics following the 4th day of fall camp practice. “I’m not going to put a whole lot of pressure on him that way. But I do think in a couple years, this is going to be a really, really good football program, one of the elite programs in America because of this guy’s leadership.”

Before coming to Virginia Tech, James Franklin led the Nittany Lions to six 10-game winning seasons, four bowl game victories, and the 2016 Big Ten title victory. So the coach has all the tools to lead the Hokies to a successful season. Even the former VT DC, who put the Hokies’ defense on the national map for two consecutive seasons and earned the 2006 Frank Broyles Award, believes in Franklin’s leadership and recruiting ability.

Foster called the new VT head coach a “perfect fit” for the Hokies. But a swift return to the old glory with a title run seems not within reach in Franklin’s debut season. In fact, analyst predictions also echoed that same sentiment, predicting 6 to 8 wins in 2026 as a realistic expectation.

However, James Franklin has confidence in his team’s growth, and at the ACC Media Days, he reassured it, saying, “We’ve been sprinting really since we arrived in Blacksburg. I think I would describe it as we have won the offseason…”

The coach not only brings his passion for chasing a national title run as his unfinished business at Virginia Tech but also brings weapons like QB Ethan Grunkemeyer and WR Davion Brown, among others from his former team, to build a title-caliber roster. More importantly, he made an unexpected move, retaining former fired head coach Brent Pry as the Hokies’ defensive coordinator this season.

However, the 2026 schedule may not favor the Hokies to remain in playoff contention, as on the road they have to face ACC heavyweight teams like Miami, the 2025 national title runner-up. That’s not all, since Virginia Tech has road games against Clemson and SMU too.

With this kind of grueling stretch, to be a legitimate title contender seems a tough task for a first-year coach, despite having all the keys to unlock on-field success. But if Franklin is able to convert the Hokies’ talent into winning games, a possibility of a title run still exists. If not, at least his job security isn’t in jeopardy for this season.