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James Franklin got his first taste of Virginia Tech’s “Enter Sandman” tradition on Wednesday as he walked into Cassell Coliseum for his introductory press conference.
It’s something the 53-year-old Franklin is eager to experience as the Hokies’ football coach.
“I can’t wait. … I’ve been watching that intro to college football my entire life,” said Franklin, who was sporting a maroon tie and pocket square. “It’s something special.”
Virginia Tech is the first Power Four program to hire its next football coach this cycle, officially bringing Franklin aboard about a month after he was fired from Penn State.
“Today is a statement about where we are headed as an athletic department and as a university, one built on alignment, investment and ambition,” Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock said. “Coach Franklin is a proven program builder, a winner, an elite recruiter, a strong developer of men, and a relentless competitor.”
Alignment was a constant theme that Franklin, Babcock and President Tim Sands returned to. In September, not long after former head coach Brent Pry was fired, the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors approved a plan to add $229 million to the budget of the Hokies’ athletic department over the next four years, with the primary goal of elevating the football program.
“In today’s college football, there needs to be alignment. There’s no other way to do it,” Franklin said. “These young men that we’re going to be recruiting, they’re going to be recruited from all the top programs in the country. They need to walk into Virginia Tech football and it needs to look, feel, smell and operate like big-time.”
Franklin was often scorned at Penn State for failing to beat Big Ten powers Ohio State and Michigan consistently. He has a 4-21 record against top-10 opponents, but has won 68.1% of his teams’ games and has eight bowl wins in 15 combined seasons at Vanderbilt and Penn State. Last year, Franklin coached the Nittany Lions to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.
“We were a drive away from playing in the national championship, so I know what it looks like,” Franklin said.
The Nittany Lions began this season ranked second in the AP poll, but Franklin was fired Oct. 12 after they suffered their third consecutive loss, falling at home to Northwestern.
While Franklin’s results weren’t quite good enough at Penn State, the expectations are more manageable at Virginia Tech. The Hokies have enjoyed just one winning season in the past six years and haven’t played in a major bowl game since 2011.
Franklin received a five-year contract from Virginia Tech. He brings with him deep recruiting ties to the Mid-Atlantic region, dating back to his two stints as an assistant coach at Maryland.
On his way to the stage where he would be introduced, Franklin stopped to shake the hand of the man who held that position the longest and had the most success at it, Frank Beamer. In Beamer’s 29 seasons at Virginia Tech, the Hokies played in 23 consecutive bowl games, including the 1999 national championship.
“Coach Beamer’s blessing means a ton to me,” Franklin said. “As everybody knows, Coach Beamer is the man and he built this place.”
College football has changed a lot since Beamer last coached in 2015. Now, it’s Franklin’s turn to put his stamp on the Hokies.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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