What a successful season would look like for James Franklin at Virginia Tech

After a rough start to the season at Penn State, James Franklin was fired in 2025 and soon after was hired as Virginia Tech’s new head coach. 

This season will be the first season in the Franklin-era for the Hokies, and it's a chance to reset the program. The expectations are rising in Blacksburg due to the talent, recruiting and energy that surround this team. 

Franklin is good at fixing teams. He got Vanderbilt to a bowl game twice in 2012-13. At Penn State from 2014 to 2025, Franklin had a 104-37 record, won the Big Ten in 2016 and went to seven bowl games, winning four. He hasn’t been great against top teams, though, going 4-21. But he led 116 players to get drafted to the NFL. Virginia Tech signed Franklin to a five-year, $41.75 million contract following their 5-7 finish. 

What is a successful season for Virginia Tech's James Franklin?

Virginia Tech must move beyond 5-7 seasons; the last 10-win year for the Hokies was in 2016. A breakthrough would begin with a 9-3 record and a 6-2 ACC record, which would secure a bowl game spot and top 3 conference finish. 

The Hokies need at least two wins over top 25 ACC teams like Miami or Clemson to snap a 16-game losing streak in big games. Offensively, averages 30+ points per game would fix last year’s 24.5 point output that was achieved by QB Kyron Drones. Defensively, a top 35 national ranking would channel Franklin’s intensity at Penn State. The real goal should be to be in the top 20 CFP ranking to spark playoff talks for 2027. 

Winning the first couple of games against VMI, Old Dominion, Maryland and Boston College by a healthy amount could spark national buzz. Nine wins in 2026 pave the way for CFP relevance by 2027 or 2028.