James Franklin Ditches the CEO Playbook at Virginia Tech, and It's a Total Reset

James Franklin is done playing it safe. After getting fired at Penn State last October, the Virginia Tech head coach is making a hard pivot on how he runs his program, and it starts with getting his hands dirty on offense again.

Franklin admitted during an interview on ACC Network's Inside ACCess that he took way too much risk with staffing decisions at Penn State and leaned too heavily on a hands-off approach. "The minute you think you've got this all figured out is the minute your career goes in the tank," Franklin said. Now? He's flipping the script completely.

Getting the Band Back Together

Instead of hunting for the next big-name coordinator, Franklin deliberately hired coaches he already knows and trusts. He brought offensive coordinator Ty Howle from Penn State, along with four other assistants he's worked with before. Even more interesting, Virginia Tech's defensive coordinator Brent Pry worked alongside Franklin for a decade at both Vanderbilt and Penn State before leaving for Virginia Tech in 2022. Pry agreed to stay with the Hokies in that defensive role.

Franklin calls it "getting the band back together," and he's got a point. "We have a system that we all know how to recruit to," he explained. "I went outside of that system a little bit, took on some risk. And risk is important in business. You've got to take on some risk. But I think I probably took on a little bit too much."

No More CEO Distance

Here's the big shift: Franklin is going to be way more involved in the offense. Howle, who spent the last six years with Franklin including four as co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach, had extensive conversations with him about expectations before taking the job.

The problem at Penn State? Franklin became "more and more of a CEO," stepping back from the day-to-day offensive work. That wasn't always his style. "Early on in my career at Vanderbilt, I was heavily involved in the offense," he said. "Over years, probably got further and further away from that."

With Howle now running the show and Franklin actively involved, the mutual respect between them should make this work. "We just have so much respect for one another and are comfortable with one another that I think this is going to be a really good situation," Franklin said.

Penn State fired Franklin after 12 seasons following three straight losses, including back-to-back defeats to UCLA and Northwestern that killed a year with national championship expectations. Virginia Tech hired him shortly after, firing Brent Pry in the process. Now Franklin gets his fresh start, and by all accounts, he's done learning lessons the hard way.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.