James Franklin is living up to his words at Virginia Tech. The head coach promised a change in fortunes, and it’s been visible on the recruiting front. After 4-star RB Messiah Mickens became the new Hokies’ HC’s first commit, they landed 4-star OL Marlen Bright, a former Penn State commit. More are in the pipeline, and each will hurt the folks at Happy Valley. 

Virginia Tech has had quite a week of recruiting. Thanksgiving came early with Mickens, and that was followed by four-star tight end Pierce Petersohn’s commitment. The Hokies were 118th in the class of 2026 when Franklin joined. That has improved to the 67th rank now. As per On3, James Franklin is looking to have three more 4-star prospects in OL Benjamin Ezuika, linebacker Mathieu Lamah, and safety Matt Seig. 

Sieg is a multi-sport athlete who played as a quarterback in high school but moved to safety in college. James Franklin recruited him to Penn State last year, and the Lions secured his commitment in November 2024. However, he opened his recruitment after Franklin was let go by Penn State. Even though he’s still committed to the Nittany Lions, there’s an extremely high chance for a flip.

Similar to Sieg, linebacker Mathieu Lamah was also recruited by Franklin and committed to Penn State in May 2025. The Patriot High School prospect is still with the Lions, but On3’s flip indicator gives the Hokies a 91.9% chance of securing his commitment. We are also seeing a similar trend with OL Benjamin Eziuka. Not just these three, a host of other Virginia Tech targets are looking to follow James Franklin to the program. That just goes on to show the kind of relationships he fostered with each of his recruits.

More targets include Syracuse commit Tyrell Grant, Kentucky’s 6-foot-5, 290-lb DL commit Garrett Witherington, and former Wisconsin offensive tackle Maddox Cochrane. Mind you, this is just the beginning of Franklin’s time at the Hokies. He has yet to even touch the portal. But along the way, he faced a few challenges, as Virginia Tech is far from a resource-laden program like PSU was.

James Franklin may struggle with the current Penn State crop

The moment Virginia Tech announced James Franklin as their next HC, the rumors of him flipping Penn State recruits started. But the case is different for the current players of the Nittany Lions. It has been a mixed bag for Franklin in terms of bringing in transfer targets from them. These rumors were addressed by a PSU alum on X. “You are 100% getting Tony Rojas. Amare Campbell, I doubt, would go to VT. He’s had a hell of a year, so if it’s not PSU, I see a lot of big schools reaching out to him,” wrote a Penn State alum on X, announcing that the Lions’ LB Tony Rojas will make a move.

Interestingly, Rojas, who is normally inactive on X, quickly replied with a thumbs-down emoji. This serves as a reality check for Franklin, who is accustomed to the bountiful program that PSU offers. Now, Franklin must let go of the extravagant projections and large NIL deals he assured young prospects during their recruitment. Rather, he will have to focus more on a calculated approach focused on developing raw talent. For context, Penn State has an athletic budget of $200m, as opposed to $120m for VT, but Franklin aims to change that.

Missing out on Tony Rojas is a significant setback. The standout four-star recruit has already recorded 104 tackles at Penn State. He is redshirting this season with two years of eligibility remaining. However, Franklin still has opportunities to lure other players. It will all depend on who Penn State selects as its next head coach. But he is already making headway into the next crop of players for Virginia Tech, evidenced by the recent flips and the future options he has his sights on.