James Franklin got off the coaching carousel as soon as he entered it. And, he went to the safest option in the market – Virginia Tech. It’ll take us some time to see Franklin in colors other than blue and white. But what does the Penn State community think of this move? A former PSU player shared his thoughts.

Franklin going to Blacksburg is quite the shocking development. As the Hokies’ HC, he now has the potential to shake up college football in the future. Former PSU TE Adam Breneman is all in for his former coach being at Virginia Tech, highlighting a lot of important points. “It will be one of the best fits of this coaching cycle,” he shared in summation.

Virginia Tech not only gets an elite coach in Franklin, but also someone who’s adapted to the NIL era of college football. That knowledge coming to a program that’s struggling to stand out from an NIL perspective is a huge boost. James Franklin has already proven he can build a winning program, having recorded multiple 10-win seasons. The biggest highlight, however, is that Franklin helped stabilize Penn State during a crisis and created a consistent, winning machine during his career.

James Franklin, at Virginia Tech, will find it easier to work with a clean slate. Adam Breneman did not beat around the bush when it came to his biggest benefit at Blacksburg. “A conference without Michigan or Ohio State or Oregon,” he listed in his post. Winning against ranked teams had been the strongest vice on Franklin in his Penn State career.

At ACC, the competition is fairly mild compared to what he was used to in the Big 10. Franklin leading the Hokies also puts them in contention for the playoffs in the future, a reality that has been distant since Frank Beamer left the program.

Plus, VT now stands to get an immense boost in recruiting, as Franklin brings with him his hold over the DMV region. Virginia was already a strong source for him during his Penn State stint. Now, he brings the potential to lock down the state for the program. Franklin has already kicked things off here, offering to former PSU and Syracuse commit, Roseby Lubintus.

Well, Franklin’s future has been decided. And on face value, this might seem like the next big deal in college football. However, Penn State is still without an HC, as it still searches for its head coach. Adam Breneman had quite the shocking suggestion for the job.

Breneman is all in for Kalen DeBoer as James Franklin’s replacement

It seems pretty unlikely for a sitting HC to find himself at the center of firing rumors, despite having gone 8-2 in a season. But if you’re Kalen DeBoer at Alabama, such an extreme outcome is bound to happen. The 2nd-year HC seemed to have gotten past his debut season jitters this year. But a brutal tumble to Oklahoma in Week 12 has fans speculating the worst. Even though Alabama has played much better football this year compared to last year.

Breneman, however, welcomed DeBoer to Happy Valley. “If they don’t appreciate you in Alabama, we’ll take you to Penn State as our head coach. Come to State College. We’ll love you,” he said recently. It’s a bold, bold claim. Though it might seem a bit out there for DeBoer to leave/be fired just yet, there is still a possibility. Alabama will be out of playoff hopes for the second time in a row if it loses to Auburn. This also seems unlikely, but the Oklahoma loss has got fans thinking otherwise.

The most important factor is that he will be a like-for-like replacement for James Franklin. “You just fired a 10-win head coach,” Pate said about DeBoer going to PSU. “The replacement’s got to do as good or better than that guy was doing.” He seems like the best possible fit to replicate what Franklin did at Penn State. While the latter is off to a new start, it’s the Alabama HC who’s now the center of unwanted attention.