James Franklin hadn’t unpacked yet in Blacksburg when Thanksgiving came. He surrounded himself with a new staff and fresh surroundings. Beaming with positivity, Franklin knows one thing for sure: Virginia Tech has become his new home.

“Happy Thanksgiving, Hokie Nation!” wrote James Franklin on X, sharing a picture of himself enjoying a meal with the Hokies staff. “Grateful for the loyalty of these men who are spending time away from their families & loved ones to work hard for Virginia Tech. #ThisIsHome.”

Although the program didn’t shine this season, with an overall record of 3-8, its hard work was evident in a 42–34 victory over California, despite the overall struggles. And loyalty? That’s clearly evident in their commitment to the program, even though they haven’t appeared in the ACC title game since their 2016 loss to Clemson.

Now, with the reins handed to a proven leader, better days seem to be on the way. For Franklin, it’s great to get a new home. The genuine welcome will be about his performances and his recruitment.

Getting the opportunity to become the Hokies’ head coach after a heartfelt parting from Penn State, where he coached for 11 years and helped the school to win the 2016 B1G title and six bowl victories, is a big moment for Franklin. In fact, he openly acknowledged that.

“I’m honored and humbled to join the Hokie family,” said the new HC of VT.

Although Virginia Tech wasn’t Franklin’s first preference, reportedly, he was eyeing Mike Norvell’s FSU. But the former PSU HC publicly explained why he chose the Hokies.

“Number one, it was obvious that they had a plan, and you’d be amazed how many of these places didn’t have a plan, said Franklin. The other thing I would say is they were aggressive. That stood out to my family and me very early on that this is a place that believed in what we could do together.”

Recruiting top talent to Virginia Tech could be a great way to kick off his coaching career. To put things into perspective, Lincoln Riley’s move from Oklahoma to USC saw several top recruits follow him. Another example is Deion Sanders’ move to Colorado, which impacted Jackson State’s roster. Similarly, with Penn State suffering now, we could see some players jumping ship.

While Franklin appears ready to build success at Virginia Tech with nearly 30 years of coaching experience and 14 years as an HC, his Thanksgiving Day has already brought bad recruiting news for Penn State.

James Franklin’s Thanksgiving hurts PSU

Since the Nittany Lions fired James Franklin after a shaky 3–3 start, the program has been in freefall. PSU is now 5–6 under interim HC Terry Smith, but the struggles haven’t stopped. While the blows kept coming, the 2026 recruiting class became the biggest casualty, as Thanksgiving didn’t bring much joy to Penn State.

While Penn State has watched 16 recruits walk away since Franklin’s exit, the latest blow landed on Thursday, when OT Marlen Bright flipped to Virginia Tech. Now Bright’s decision leaves the Lions with zero OT commits in the 2026 cycle and a class that now ranks No. 93 nationally. While it’s a massive drop for a program that entered Week 1 ranked No. 2 in the AP poll, it marks a favorable turn for Franklin.

Bright becomes the second player to follow him to Virginia Tech, joining four-star RB Messiah Mickens. But that’s not all, as On3’s Hayes Fawcett reported.

“Four-star TE Pierce Petersohn has flipped from Penn State to Virginia Tech. And the reason is simple, as Petersohn told Fawcett, Believe in the people that believe in you! In Coach Franklin, we trust.”

Following that, Petersohn showed his excitement, tweeting, “Let’s get it! 🏠🦃🏠”

Looks like Franklin didn’t just leave a coaching vacancy for Penn State. While this flip seems a reminder of how costly his departure has been, we’ll now see who Penn State chooses to lead them out of this brutal stretch.