Life rarely follows a linear playbook for Journey Brown. Forced to retire from football during his college years due to a heart condition, he traded his cleats for an air gun in a NASCAR pit crew. Football seemed like a closed chapter until his old Penn State coach came calling again.
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Virginia Tech is opening its doors to Brown after new Hokies head coach James Franklin brought his former running back onto the staff. Years ago, Brown took plays directly from Franklin. Now at 27, he stands beside him on the sidelines, ready to coach the next generation.
Brown confirmed the news on Instagram, posting a photo in Hokies gear with his family and writing, “Happy to be a Hokie! Thankful for the opportunity.” For fans who followed his journey, it was a moment full of deep emotion.
For James Franklin, bringing Journey Brown aboard isn’t just a standard coaching move; it’s personal. Back in 2020, Brown was set to shine as Penn State’s lead back when routine medical testing revealed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an abnormal thickening of the heart walls.
In an instant, Brown’s playing days were over. Franklin publicly supported him through the shock, keeping him close to the team as a student assistant.
“We’ve been working through this and dealing with this as a team,” Franklin said, per a November 11, 2020, report by Penn State Nittany Lions on SI. “Journey’s one of the most popular and respected players on our team. The entire organization has rallied behind Journey and his family. We need Nittany Nation to do the same.”
Walking away from the field wasn’t easy, but Brown redirected his competitive drive. In 2023, Trackhouse Racing recruited him as a front-tire changer for their NASCAR pit crew. Changing tires in under ten seconds required athletic precision, offering him a fresh purpose outside of football.
“You tend to become what you do on a daily basis, so for me, I always thought of myself as a football player,” Brown told FOX Sports in October 2023. “ When I got pulled out of that, I didn’t know who I…But my family, my friends reminded me that I’m more than that.”
In his two years as a Nittany Lions RB, Brown recorded 137 carries for 934 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. He was a driving force in the overall 11-2 record under Franklin. The towering 53-39 Cotton Bowl victory over Memphis proves the winning partnership between Franklin and Brown.
In that game, Brown set a Penn State bowl record with 202 rushing yards and surpassed Saquon Barkley’s 194-yard record in the 2017 Rose Bowl. He earned the Tim Shaw Thrive Award for his unbreakable spirit and for overcoming challenges.
Brown’s mentees would be learning from a Nittany Lions record holder. In 2019, he averaged 6.89 yards per carry and ranked fifth overall in the school’s history. With 12 rushing touchdowns, he tied 13th overall in Penn State history.
“The pain of not being able to play the game I love anymore hurts,” Brown said in a statement as he retired on November 11, 2020. “However, I can walk away from the game knowing I truly gave my all.”
Life, however, appears to keep the footballer in him alive. Now he is back to his roots, just in a different capacity. Although Brown has yet to clarify his new post with the Hokies, his past indicates it will be in regard to coaching running backs.
Franklin isn’t just reuniting with Brown. In the past, he hired another former Penn State face on his journey with the Hokies.
James Franklin had already added a Penn State alum to his staff before Journey Brown
Franklin knows what or who, in this case, he wants. In his 11 years with the Nittany Lions, the head coach had a reliable support system that understood him best, and Ty Howle was an integral part of it.
In December 2025, reports emerged that he was hiring Howle, his former offensive coordinator. He joined the program in 2020 as an analyst, having played for them on the offensive line from 2009-13.
In 2021, he was promoted to running backs coach and co-offensive coordinator the following year. Franklin trusts folks from Penn State with whom he already shares a history. In his farewell message, Brown had written that “it’s about Journey, not the destination.” It appears that every turn of his life has led him back to where it all began, with the people who never really let him go.