Va Tech hires James Franklin
- Thread starter Bigred2467
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That's a great hire for them. Lot of fun football ahead for their fanbase
Penn State is delusional. Happy for Virginia Tech.
Not according to this article:
Why Virginia Tech's hiring of James Franklin isn't exactly a home run
“There’s no denying that Franklin knows how to build a good program. He’s done it both at a blue blood and one of the sport’s traditional sad sacks.
But the entire theme of this college football season more broadly has been how some of the stuff that mattered most in the past isn’t quite as relevant now. Some programs have adapted, others have struggled, and the end result is a compressed sport where even teams that seem bound for the CFP are engaged in a fourth-quarter struggle practically every week.
And when parity takes over college football the way it has this year, never has there been such a premium on what happens on the sidelines in close games.
When the margins are this small, every fourth-down decision, every situational play call, every squandered timeout can be the difference between winning or losing.”
“Franklin usually got the big stuff right. But on the margins, when a head coach is required to make consequential tactical decisions in the heat of battle, he was often quite bad and never got better.
A 4-21 record against top-10 opponents doesn’t happen by accident.
Ultimately, it cost him one of the best jobs in college football. Now he’ll have to do it at a program with fewer resources and natural advantages. Penn State was usually the second or third-most talented team in the Big Ten. It will take a monumental recruiting and NIL effort to put Virginia Tech on that talent tier in the ACC.
And even if Franklin does that, he will at some point be judged yet again by whether he can win the games that matter most.
Unless moving 370 miles south has improved his ability to manage a clock or call a play under pressure, it won’t be long before Virginia Tech fans start to feel the frustration Penn State endured for the last dozen years.”
Somehow I think Virginia Tech fans would love their problem to be "we just can't beat Ohio State"
Ha! Right?
VT fans will be thrilled with Beamer results. A lot of bowl games, a lot of 9 win seasons and MAYBE a playoff appearance here and there.
they are smart to move quick, beat other teams looking for a hc and get things in place
Was in an elevator in a motel in the DC area the weekend of the UCLA game with a guy in a VaTech hat with his wife. I asked how the search was going and he said they were going to get Franklin. Don't read much Hokie football, but this must have been in the cards for awhile.
V tech is unlikely to EVER challenge for national titles. Love him or hate him, Franklin is consistently a 8-10 win coach. I believe Franklin will have them in the mix for conference titles within 3 years. Great hire for that school in that conference.
Too many fan bases are infected with the delusion that they’re going to hire the next Nick Saban who is going to win conference titles 2 out of 3 years. Get a guy who can get you in the mix consistently then give him time to maybe have the cards fall right once in a while. NIL has changed everything.
Man does that echo from so many posts on this board just a few short weeks ago...
Hire of the cycle imo.
Interesting dynamic how JF goes forward completing his staff. I suspect there are a handful of his previous coaches at PSU that he wants at WV. If they qualify for a bowl game, do these guys stick around or bail? Wonder if any would actually leave before then?
Franklin at VT appear to me to be a good fit. IF he has resources he will be able to build a decent program. Sadly, it is all about NIL and money these days.
JF is as good or bad as you think the Penn State job is. They are on the east coast and have a very active program. Solid recruiting base. Though it's a bear to get to. And even their "Greatest HC" only won the Natty in 1982 (but they don't deserve this as the ref awarded them that catch) and 1986 is their real one. So if he can only get them 1.5 Natties and a lot of close calls. JF was honoring that tradition lol.
I think this is a great move for Franklin and VaTech.
Talk about an easier road to the playoffs than facing OSU and Michigan every year. Miami is the ACC’s best team at this point. And Franklin already has as many ACC conference championships as da U!
Given that VaTech is the closest P4 stadium to my current home, I may have to become a kind-of but entirely situational VaTech fan. (Which of course means once again looking up WTF a Hokey is.)
Talk about an easier road to the playoffs than facing OSU and Michigan every year. Miami is the ACC’s best team at this point. And Franklin already has as many ACC conference championships as da U!
Given that VaTech is the closest P4 stadium to my current home, I may have to become a kind-of but entirely situational VaTech fan. (Which of course means once again looking up WTF a Hokey is.)
He had a $49 million buyout, and took $9 million to get it over with. Left $40 million on the table. At least VT knows he's all in.
..are you sure about this? I've never heard a coach, or anyone, taking that kind of a haircut on guaranteed money.
Said it on multiple talk radio shows yesterday, but I'm not saying they aren't wrong.
Hopefully PSU’s remaining staff is COMPLETELY distracted this week and mailing it in while house shopping near VT’s campus.
If VT offered him similar money and he doesn’t want to sit out, why would he turn down 9 million? It’s actually extra money above what he was going to get if he had stayed at PSU.
So stating the obvious, but if somehow Huskers can jump on them early, might just break their will to compete. You’d have to think that lots of quiet chats between teammates as well between coaches have been prevalent this week on what lies ahead for their future. I originally thought it be hard for Dana to scheme scores with TJ but now I’m not so sure since JF took the VT job and added that distraction.
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That would be nice. But I’m about a bazillion percent sure it ain’t happening.
Underestimating PSU in any way shape or form is purely a fool’s errand. The players and coaches didn’t get to where they are today by being anything but ultra competitive and prideful. They will fight to the final gun. This is the same team that made last year’s CFP semis, and this year took both Indiana and Oregon down to the final play of each game.
He had a duty to mitigate in the contract. He was obligated to find another job and likely gets less than 9 mill if he doesnt settle. Everyone involved knew he was getting another good gig.
Yeah. They recruit winners. Those guys don’t want to end up with a losing record. The players will play like it’s their last game ever.
I wonder if Franklin tampering with PSU’s staff, current players, and recruits could give NU an advantage Saturday?
At this stage of the season, teams have enough film on each other that a lot of distraction could mean the difference between a W or an L. PSU playing at home on a Saturday night when classes end on Friday should mean less than a full house, that helps the Huskers, or it should.
As long as NU plays the equivalent of almost every game this year, except the MINN debacle, they should be alright. Despite that, I think PSU has the better team.