After a three-week losing streak and a massive fall from the second preseason AP poll team to an unranked team, James Franklin bid goodbye to Penn State after more than a decade. Since then, every step Franklin takes seems like another move. Now, after turning heads in the Falcons vs. Dolphins game, Franklin’s back in the spotlight, making his presence known in the Old Dominion vs. Troy game, supporting his old PSU pals!

Knowing the fact that fans are eagerly waiting for Franklin’s comeback, his presence at GameDay often sparks coaching buzz. Just like it did while he was at the Falcons game supporting his friend and HC Raheem Morris. This time, it’s Monarch’s HC Ricky Rahne, who served as Franklin’s assistant at Vanderbilt and Penn State. As reporter Marc Davis shares an update on X, saying, “Former Penn State head coach James Franklin is in the house for @ODUFootball’s match-up with Troy tonight. Monarchs’ head coach Ricky Rahne was an assistant on Franklin’s staff at Vanderbilt and Penn State from 2011 to 2019.”

But he wasn’t there to support just Rahne but also Troy’s head coach, Gerad Parker, who was Franklin’s wide receivers coach, replacing David Corley in 2019. Although his presence sparked coaching rumors linking him to Virginia Tech, Franklin made it clear that he was there simply to support his friends. David Teel shared an update: “Prior to kickoff here at ODU, I asked James Franklin about his interest in #Hokies. He was friendly, polite, and declined comment. He said he is here to support two coaches—Monarchs’ Ricky Rahne and Troy’s Gerad Parker, who worked for him at Penn State.”

Now, what brings in the Hokies rumor is Kalshi giving a 50% chance to Franking for taking up Virginia Tech’s. As Brent Pry’s replacement, he will have to do a lot of work on the recruiting front. But that might be an easy thing for him, as his former Penn State recruits like Edge Tyson Harley, LB Elijah Litteljohn, and RB Messiah Mickens might follow him there, giving them an instant boost.

With that, Franklin’s confidence in rebuilding a program from scratch just adds on to Virginia Tech’s interest. “We created that pressure,” Franklin said. “When I took over the program 12 years ago, it was in a very different situation. … We got it back to being a consistent contender.”

On top of it, even Penn State might benefit if James Franklin finds another job. So as per Front Office Sports reporter Amanda Christovich’s obtained copy of Franklin’s 2021 contract and the previously reported 10-year deal he signed back then, it includes a key clause that can reduce his buyout for the remaining six years. So, as per that, any salary he earns from the next job will “offset” Penn State’s buyout payment. This deal also forces him to “diligently search” for another job.

But Virginia Tech is not the only one trying to get Franklin into the team.

James Franklin draws SEC coaching buzz

Well, the way teams are coming to James Franklin, he might not be unemployed for long. And one team that’s kept making the headlines is Arkansas, who has actively pursued Franklin as Sam Pittman’s replacement after his firing. “Trey Biddy also went on to talk about how, to his knowledge, there are only two candidates that they have actually reached out to at Arkansas as of this moment, James Franklin and Rhett Lashlee, the only two that they have reached out to,” 3 Man Front’s Pat Smith said.

Franklin left Penn State with a 104-45 record and six bowl victories, which carries significant weight for Arkansas, especially knowing the kind of resources he might bring in with his recruiting excellence.

And let’s not forget even Arkansas is trying to go big in its NIL front. “You remember when they fired Sam Pittman? I talked to a couple people that told me that Arkansas was willing to up the ante in that they’re going to spend money for the football program. Trey Beatty reported that the athletic department is working to inject an additional $40 million into the football program to go with the current budget. So they want to go $40 million above their current budget,” he added.

Now, with SEC experience coaching at Vanderbilt with two winning seasons, James Franklin looks like a perfect fit for them. Let’s wait and see which team finally lands him.