With National Signing Day on the horizon, college football programs have been keeping close tabs on James Franklin. Cue Penn State. The Virginia Tech Hokies’ head coach went berserk on the recruiting deadline run and snagged a ton of players who were already committed to his old team. Yet, he’s not apologizing for it.

“I want to make sure that this is interpreted right: by no means were we out looking to take commits from any specific school,” James Franklin made a bold statement regarding the recruiting. “It really just came down to the kids that we’ve had relationships with, that we’ve known for multiple years. That’s really what that was about.”

Naturally, at his big press conference, reporters grilled him about how all these players suddenly decided to become Hokies. Franklin played it cool and explained that they weren’t, like, actively trying to poach players from Penn State or anywhere else.

Franklin has always been big on building relationships, even offering scholarships to players’ younger brothers years ago, so he leaned into that idea.

He was essentially trying to say, ‘Hey, these are just kids I know, and they trust me, so they followed.’

It has happened before, when Lane Kiffin left Tennessee for USC and took recruits with him. It caused quite a stir, but everything went normally beyond those moves.

However, many saw it as a subtle dig or at least a convenient justification for gutting his former team’s class. But man, the results are hard to ignore.

Virginia Tech ultimately signed around 11 players previously committed to Penn State. This group included some serious talent, such as four-star linebacker Terry Wiggins, four-star running back Messiah Mickens, and quarterback Troy Huhn. Additionally, he recruited some players from Kentucky and Wisconsin.

That haul completely changed the game for the Hokies, vaulting their 2026 recruiting class ranking from way down at 124th nationally all the way up to 25th place with a total of 23 commits. That’s one big jump.

The drama is not limited to the press conference, either.

The Virginia Tech staff reportedly served Crumbl Cookies at their signing day event, which many people online took as a subtle jab at Penn State. Earlier this week, Penn State missed out on hiring BYU coach Kalani Sitake, partly because the CEO of Crumbl Cookies intervened to help BYU retain him – a clever jab from the Hokies.

So, while Franklin maintained his professional stance, his staff seemed to have a little fun with the situation. However, the head honcho made sure everyone knew what was coming for Virginia Tech’s future.

James Franklin on Hokies’ future

James Franklin made it clear that he’s serious about rebuilding Virginia Tech football. This recruiting class proves it. Plus, Franklin also shared a confident message about what he believes this class can do for the program.

“We grew up with a Virginia Tech that was kickin’ b*** and taking names, and this is gonna be the type of class and the type of young men that are gonna help us restore that,” he said.

Fans have long sought this kind of energy and direction. The Hokies’ football was a major powerhouse for nearly 20 years, from the mid-1990s through the early 2010s, consistently winning conference championships and competing in top-tier bowl games.

However, since the 2012 season, their performance has dropped off significantly. The widespread consensus is that Franklin might finally be the person who brings it.

While some players from the 2026 class could make an immediate impact, Franklin’s focus is on their long-term potential to turn the program around, signaling that Penn State’s loss is Virginia Tech’s gain

Franklin still needs to build out his staff and work the transfer portal, which opens pretty soon, but the early signs are promising.