James Franklin hired as Virginia Tech’s coach, just over a month after Penn State fired him

By Jimmy Robertson The Associated Press BLACKSBURG Va James Franklin was hired as Virginia Tech s coach on Monday a little more than a month after he was fired during his th season at Penn State The Hokies became the first Power football venture to fill a coaching vacancy this season Franklin was set to be formally introduced at a news conference Wednesday morning He was fired by the Nittany Lions on Oct a day after they lost at home to Northwestern to fall to - The -year-old Franklin went - at Penn State winning a Big Ten championship in the season a Fiesta Bowl and a Rose Bowl Last season he led the Nittany Lions to a first-round domination in the College Football Playoff I m honored and humbled to join the Hokie family Franklin mentioned in a message My vision is simple to restore unmatched excellence to build something that lasts and to serve this university the Commonwealth of Virginia and our amazing fan base with honor integrity and passion I look forward to getting to work with our players our staff and the entire Virginia Tech neighborhood Terms of Franklin s contract were not published Before he was hired by Virginia Tech Penn State had been on the hook for a buyout worth nearly million But Franklin and the Nittany Lions negotiated a settlement under which he ll be paid million instead according to multiple reports Franklin has a - overall record including his three seasons at Vanderbilt In Blacksburg he takes over for his former Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Brent Pry who was fired on Sept after the Hokies lost their first three games by an average of points Virginia Tech started - for the first time since Pry went - including - in Atlantic Coast Conference play in his three-plus seasons The Hokies - - ACC have since been led by interim coach Philip Montgomery Franklin was maligned at Penn State for not winning big games he went - against teams ranked in the top of the AP poll but he brings credibility to a Virginia Tech scheme that has struggled since Frank Beamer retired in after years at the helm Athletic director Whit Babcock first hired Justin Fuente and then Pry in hopes of continuing the success enjoyed by Beamer but both coaches floundered That prompted Virginia Tech President Tim Sands to form a search committee to hire the next coach and limit the scope of Babcock s role The Hokies have just four winning seasons since Beamer s retirement and six since since Babcock became the AD in The committee landed on Franklin whose Penn State teams won at least games six times during his tenure Franklin also presented an ability to recruit in Virginia In he signed six of the top prospects in the state according to various recruiting services and one of his best players in the past five years was Tyler Warren a tight end from the Richmond area who was a first-round NFL draft pick by the Indianapolis Colts this spring and is flourishing as a rookie His experience passion and record of success embody our commitment to compete at the highest level Sands revealed of Franklin in a declaration His selection is the consequence of unprecedented collaboration by our athletic administration with university leaders esteemed alumni including former NFL coaches and players and our bulk dedicated supporters Related Articles Rick George on why he s stepping down as CU Buffs athletic director It s time Renck vs Keeler Better job for Kordell Stewart or anyone CSU head coach or CU AD Versatile Yahya Attia a boost to CU Buffs offensive line CSU Pueblo outlasts Chadron State in double overtime thriller to claim RMAC football title CSU Rams upset bid falls short at New Mexico despite promising performance from Darius Curry James will provide the leadership and inspiration our student-athletes need and the performance on the field that our university area alumni and fans expect and deserve Virginia Tech has committed to providing Franklin with the support he necessities to be flourishing The Board of Visitors approved a plan in late September to add million to the athletic department s budget over the next four years primarily to bolster the football plan Half of that money though is coming from philanthropy and requirements to be raised Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top throughout the season Sign up here and here AP News mobile app AP college football https apnews com hub ap-top- -college-football-poll and https apnews com hub college-football Want more sports news Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver s teams